A west Auckland man is pleading for help from authorities after his family was forced to evacuate their home because of the devastating flooding.
The city has been battered by heavy rain, flooding and slips over the past few days which has destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses.
Trushar Maisuria is one of the unlucky residents whose home was destroyed in the floods.
Maisuria bought his Massey home in 2020 but now less than three years later it has been yellow stickered and his family have been forced to evacuate.
"We are staying at our friends [house]. My kids and wife are sleeping on a sofa and I am sleeping in a garage in a car because there is not much space," he told AM's Melissa Chan-Green on Thursday.
Maisuria said the flooding hit fast and his entire family were forced to flee their home.
"The water level was about my height and it's totally hard when we have to leave or when we have to get rescued because none of us can swim."
All of the family's belongings were damaged including his daughters' school uniforms and clothes.
"I remember on a Thursday night we sat down and did their books, lunchboxes and everything but it's all gone," he said.
Maisuria said his family desperately needs help and he has no idea where they're going to live or how they're going to pay for new items.
"MSD is giving us money to buy groceries and buy bedding but where are we going to cook the groceries and where are we going to put the beds when there is no place to stay?" he asked.
He said the home has had electrical issues since the flood which the Council is aware of, but nothing has been done about sewage overflowing on the property.
"There is a stream going behind our house since the 2021 flood but no one has since come to clean anything - there is still debris sitting there from the 2021 flood," he said.
Getting in touch with his insurance company is also proving difficult and he said after the experience he is ready to move.
"I bought this house in December 2020, and in three years this is the second flood. At first we said okay it's a 100-year event, but it happened again very soon.
"We start fixing draining after the first flood but that is not safe - not for anyone. If I don't want to stay here, I don't want anyone staying here in this property" he said.
And he has a stark warning for under-fire Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown.
"Imagine if it happened in the middle of the night and we couldn't be rescued?" he questioned.
Maisuria isn't the only Aucklander who has been forced to evacuate their homes because of the floods.
So far 179 properties have been given red stickers and 812 have been given yellow.
A yellow sticker means a building has sustained moderate damage and access is restricted while a red sticker means a building cannot be entered or used because it has been heavily damaged and poses a significant risk to health or life.
