By Oriini Kaipara
Parts of the North Island's East Coast remain cut off more than 24 hours after wild weather wreaked havoc on the region.
The worst-hit area is Tokomaru Bay, 90kms north of Gisborne, where flash flooding forced evacuations on Sunday.
MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said more than 100mm of rain had fallen in some parts of northern Gisborne within just 12 hours.
The full scale of the damage to the township and many of the small settlement homes became clear on Monday.
The Coleman family's backyard in Tokomaru Bay looks more like a swamp and indoors doesn't fare much better.
The mud swept inside was an unwelcome result of a flash flood bursting in when the nearby stream breached its banks.
Sandra Coleman's lived here for almost 40 years and she's never seen anything like it.
"It’s the first time we've been flooded. Even Bola didn't go through the house… Yeah, I'm devastated, I'm gutted."
It's one of many homes along Arthur Street seriously damaged as roads turned into rivers.
But by Monday morning, the sun was out. As was the community, ready to muck in.
East Coast MP Kiritapu Allan is still on leave from parliamentary duties but she was unofficially back on board to oversee the cleanup.
And the start of the school week was a little different for teachers and parents at Hatea-a-Rangi Primary who all helped to clear thick silt and mud from classrooms.
With further rain expected later this week authorities are urgently trying to restore vital infrastructure and Civil Defence is supporting families in need of a roof over their heads.
"We're getting a sense of that and that's really filling in the gaps in terms of anyone else who's lost homes and what status people are in," Civil Defence and emergency manager at Gisborne District Council Ben Green says.
