Waiheke is a community of less than 8,000 residents and though they don’t always agree on things, what became clear over the past few weeks is that the community spirit is alive and well.
This week’s deluge was the equivalent of April’s entire rainfall projection, and on top of already saturated soil, there was flooding, tree’s came down, landslides blocked roads, footpaths disappeared under murky water, waterfalls appeared where they had never been, yet amongst this devastation shone the true spirit of the community.
Via the Waiheke Community Warning System Facebook page offers of accommodation were plentiful, there were stories of hot drinks and scones being delivered to grateful road workers and fire crews and today in the relative calm lounges are being converted into free child care spaces for those who need to clean up the mess, The page is full of advice on what to do, updates and general support for those who bore the brunt of the damage.
It may take weeks for Waiheke to recover from the damage caused by two… (they say possibly three) heavy rain storms, but the feelings of goodwill generated by the community for the community will linger.
