Berhampore homeowner jumped high fence (with baby) to escape “crazy” flood

Photo supplied to RNZ

Report from RNZ by Rachel Helyer Donaldson
A Wellington father who scaled a nearly two-metre fence to escape rising floodwaters is still haunted by ‘what ifs’ two months on.

More than 70mm of rain fell in an hour on 20 April causing devastating flash floods in the city’s southern suburbs. About 25 households are still living in temporary accommodation.

Builder Josh Palmer said he and his wife Ali were forced to jump the fence with their nine-month old-baby Ren when their Berhampore home was inundated. He said it happened so rapidly, it was a blur and before they knew it, they were throwing electronics on to beds and water was “bubbling up” through the floorboards.

“The water just came straight up from underneath and just rose so suddenly until we were sort of shin to knee-deep in water. Everything started … floating around the house.”

The couple made the call to get out – hoping they could leave in the car but upon opening the front door, Palmer said they were met with a “tidal wave of water”.

“The amount that came in was insane.”

In waist-deep water, the mangled front gate lying in their path, Palmer said there was nowhere to go except back inside. “The road was just a raging river, just going down Adelaide Road. It was like nothing I’d ever seen – it was stuff you see on the news, and you think, ‘Oh, that’s not going to happen in Wellington.’ It was absolutely crazy. Immediately I was like, ‘Get back in the house we cannot go out there.'”

Unable to get through to emergency services, their only escape route was into their neighbours’ property.

Leaping over a large hole that had appeared in the torrent of water, Palmer scaled the back fence, his wife handing him their baby.

“She’s passed him over and I just ran up and just gave him to the next door neighbours and then ran back … had to carry the dogs out of the house and we had to throw them over the fence. It’s probably about a 1.8m high fence it wasn’t particularly easy to get over, but again it’s all just a blur.”

Palmer said they were running on adrenaline and in “survival mode” but now, eight weeks later the couple was still visited by “terrifying” ideas of what could have happened.

“A pretty sort of harrowing thought is, y’know if you went outside in [flowing] waters … and you dropped him [Ren], he’d just vanish under the water and be gone. And that’s a really kind of scary thought … that we’ve both had.”

Palmer said the force of the water had caused significant damage to their newly renovated home, sweeping out the foundations and causing a brick wall to partly collapse into his baby’s room.

He said they are in limbo waiting on reports, including a geotechnical engineering assessment, to find out whether the home is a write-off.

“It’s a shame to feel like, that’s our first home … the home that we’ve created for ourselves is just gone. But then again, just a repair I don’t think it would be worth it.”

Palmer said they were fortunate to be living with his parents until they got answers.

He said the number of people that had “pulled together” to help the family had been incredible, and they would be applying for rates relief.

Wellington City Council said properties made uninhabitable for more than 28 days due to the floods could be eligible for rates remission. It said 60 households have applied to date, with applications closing on June 30.

Wellington City Mission said about 25 households were still in temporary accommodation and it had received 228 applications to the Flood Relief Fund from people seeking help. A spokesperson said $276,000 of the just over $380,000, had been paid out so far.