Muriwai residents devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle are hopeful their meeting with the Minister for Auckland will provide some clarity on the future of their red-stickered homes.
Auckland Minister Michael Wood will meet with Cyclone Gabrielle-affected residents in Muriwai on Thursday evening and residents are crossing their fingers that discussions with him will provide certainty.
Resident Caroline Bell-Booth's home was inundated by a council reserve "which failed behind our house".
"All that land is now resting against our house, it whipped out our deck, it whipped out our shed a lot of sort of practical elements of the house."
Bell-Booth is currently living in a rental in Muriwai, which for the moment is being covered by her private insurance. She told AM much of the community is in the same boat, but insurance coverage will soon run out.
"We run out in August and then what we are facing is paying our mortgage and trying to maintain our commitments to the bank whilst paying temporary accommodation costs at full rental market prices."
Bell-Booth told AM she's still waiting to hear from the council on the geotechnical results of her home but says there's "a very fine line between finding out what's happening to your property, which doesn't guarantee a buyout or indeed that process takes a significant amount of time".
"We'll run out of money before we find out whether we're staying or going."
She said the community is facing bankruptcy "before we get to buyout".
Bell-Booth says the Christchurch 2011 earthquake set a "precedent" with the accommodation supplement which was offered to affected residents during that time.
"We are hopeful that that is something that will be revealed to us tonight. It's obviously a really vulnerable and stressful period, so I really hope that these kinds of things aren't being withheld for political purposes. I would just really like clarity."
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