Cyclone Gabrielle: Mother, child and cat make traumatic escape after mass slips

A mom, her child and their family pet cat are not sure when they can go home after making a traumatic escape from Karekare throughout Cyclone Gabrielle.

Cassandra Robson and her child Skylar have actually been sticking with family in Piha after they needed to leave their home as slips were damaging all neighbouring residential or commercial properties.

Robson said they needed to make their escape on foot up a roadway that just had about 1m large of gain access to due to a slip, the entire time seeming like “the cliff was going to impale us”.

The previous night she had actually simply remained awake listening to the wind and viewing the water levels.

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“It had a tornado sort of feel.”

After 5 neighbouring residential or commercial properties decreased in slips, Robson said she and her child protected at a friend’s location close by, as they were lacking products.

“We didn’t have any food – there’s no supermarket in Karekare.”

Eventually, 2 buddies who were stressed over her pertained to discover her, driving them partly out prior to pertaining to a slip-blocked roadway.

“As a mum, I was feeling very guilty because there was constantly slips on the road and it was quite unsafe,” Robson said.

But she decided to go continue ahead, regardless of the roadways being “gnarly”.

“It’s just traumatising.”

They needed to leave the car and stroll past where the slip had actually come down on the roadway, regardless of worries that it would offer at any minute.

Hopping into a car on the other side of the slip, they were removed the roadway to a family home in Piha.

“My number one [priority] was getting Sky[lar] to safety.”

Not just did Robson and her child make it to Piha securely, so did Percy the persian cat.

The family don’t understand when they’ll have the ability to return home, as Robson forecasts the roadway will be out obstructed for months.

“We’re just lucky to be out and safe,” she said.

The cluster of baches and homes that comprise the rugged seaside settlement is now entirely cut off, with both roadways harmed by considerable slips or entirely gotten rid of.

When Stuff treked into the town on Tuesday, residents explained minutes that seemed like a “movie where the house slides down behind you, and you’re running for your life”.

During the course of Cyclone Gabrielle, Waitākere tape-recorded 248mm of rains.