19-02-2023, 01:47 PM
I have power 
and wifi 
We only got surface flooding here and the inconvenience of no power for 5.5 days is nothing compared to what others are going through. We got back limited cellphone coverage on Friday but had to be very careful with using phones as need to preserve the battery as didn’t know how long it might be before we could recharge the power bank. If you haven’t got one already I strongly suggest that you get one I was able to keep my phone charged for the 5 days and only had used about 50% of the power bank. The other thing that was so helpful is my little solar powered radio I could keep up with the main news and recharge it easily the next day.
A couple of black rubbish bags with a bucket of water in them laid out on the path in the sun allowed hot water for washing dishes etc and bathing. Yesterday the water was almost too hot - was a lovely bucket shower though.
I used the contents of the little freezer under the fridge but didn’t even peek inside the chest freezer in the garage until Friday pm (4.5days without power) I have 2 legs of lamb in there that I was giving to a big family that have a BBQ but the meat was still solid and acting as ice packs for the rest of the freezer, I gave them a tray of chicken and said they would have to wait a bit longer lol. I’ve just cleaned out the freezer as the ice was lifting and I’ll take the meat, which is still frozen, over to them today as the freezer is now working again. But good to know that if you don’t open it the contents could safely last at least a week and depending what is in it possibly longer. Some of the fruit has defrosted but still cold and useable.
My sister has been away during all this and she just has a small upright freezer so I emptied that on day 3 and took all the meat as well both hers and mine butter, cheese etc to an evacuation centre. It upset me a bit hearing of people just dumping the contents of their freezers as evacuation centres were more than happy to get it and if they couldn’t use it they passed on to people who could.
There have been numerous helicopters overhead and landing in the park just around the corner. For several days Napier was like an island as no way to leave except by helicopter the hospital is in Hastings so any patients needing hospital car had to be flown there.
First time last evening I was able to see some of the photos and it is horrendous in places. Walked along the stop bank near the EIT yesterday the river was just a normal looking river in the distance - although still brown, and it was almost incomprehensible that it had being flowing over the stop bank just a couple of days before. The silt, trees and broken bridge told their own story though.
Something like this really brings out the best and the absolute worst in people. My nephews, 2 who live out Eskdale way and one who has come up from Masterton and their young sons have worked long hours each day removing silt, rescuing animals etc. they have had people in tears that someone would just show up and clear their driveway for them, and there are a lot of people helping like this wherever they can.
I’m just so impressed with all the different services that have really worked tirelessly for days on end. So many people complain about what “they” should be doing forgetting that “they” are also people who usually live in the same region and therefore going through the same stresses whilst putting themselves in danger helping others.
Then there are the opposite non-humans (I can’t imagine anyone with even an iota of humanity carrying on like these are) going into areas where people have lost everything and looting. My niece had to move out as she didn’t feel safe in her own home when a group turned up threatening people and taking whatever supplies they wanted such as gas bottles, barbecues, generators etc.
A trailer load of generators arrived and the mob turned up and said we’ll take them and helped themselves to the lot of them. They are going around at night listening for generators and taking them. A group from the mob drove into a petrol station, said this is ours now and filled up all their cars and just drove off.
It has certainly put into perspective for me how we can get hung up on trivial everyday things .
and wifi We only got surface flooding here and the inconvenience of no power for 5.5 days is nothing compared to what others are going through. We got back limited cellphone coverage on Friday but had to be very careful with using phones as need to preserve the battery as didn’t know how long it might be before we could recharge the power bank. If you haven’t got one already I strongly suggest that you get one I was able to keep my phone charged for the 5 days and only had used about 50% of the power bank. The other thing that was so helpful is my little solar powered radio I could keep up with the main news and recharge it easily the next day.
A couple of black rubbish bags with a bucket of water in them laid out on the path in the sun allowed hot water for washing dishes etc and bathing. Yesterday the water was almost too hot - was a lovely bucket shower though.
I used the contents of the little freezer under the fridge but didn’t even peek inside the chest freezer in the garage until Friday pm (4.5days without power) I have 2 legs of lamb in there that I was giving to a big family that have a BBQ but the meat was still solid and acting as ice packs for the rest of the freezer, I gave them a tray of chicken and said they would have to wait a bit longer lol. I’ve just cleaned out the freezer as the ice was lifting and I’ll take the meat, which is still frozen, over to them today as the freezer is now working again. But good to know that if you don’t open it the contents could safely last at least a week and depending what is in it possibly longer. Some of the fruit has defrosted but still cold and useable.
My sister has been away during all this and she just has a small upright freezer so I emptied that on day 3 and took all the meat as well both hers and mine butter, cheese etc to an evacuation centre. It upset me a bit hearing of people just dumping the contents of their freezers as evacuation centres were more than happy to get it and if they couldn’t use it they passed on to people who could.
There have been numerous helicopters overhead and landing in the park just around the corner. For several days Napier was like an island as no way to leave except by helicopter the hospital is in Hastings so any patients needing hospital car had to be flown there.
First time last evening I was able to see some of the photos and it is horrendous in places. Walked along the stop bank near the EIT yesterday the river was just a normal looking river in the distance - although still brown, and it was almost incomprehensible that it had being flowing over the stop bank just a couple of days before. The silt, trees and broken bridge told their own story though.
Something like this really brings out the best and the absolute worst in people. My nephews, 2 who live out Eskdale way and one who has come up from Masterton and their young sons have worked long hours each day removing silt, rescuing animals etc. they have had people in tears that someone would just show up and clear their driveway for them, and there are a lot of people helping like this wherever they can.
I’m just so impressed with all the different services that have really worked tirelessly for days on end. So many people complain about what “they” should be doing forgetting that “they” are also people who usually live in the same region and therefore going through the same stresses whilst putting themselves in danger helping others.
Then there are the opposite non-humans (I can’t imagine anyone with even an iota of humanity carrying on like these are) going into areas where people have lost everything and looting. My niece had to move out as she didn’t feel safe in her own home when a group turned up threatening people and taking whatever supplies they wanted such as gas bottles, barbecues, generators etc.
A trailer load of generators arrived and the mob turned up and said we’ll take them and helped themselves to the lot of them. They are going around at night listening for generators and taking them. A group from the mob drove into a petrol station, said this is ours now and filled up all their cars and just drove off.
It has certainly put into perspective for me how we can get hung up on trivial everyday things .