Tempest victim lost ‘everything’

On the day of the floods his two-yearold son fell into the water minutes after it gushed inside his home.

Dany Madawala said his first instinct was to turn off the electricity main and collect some important items, but in a split-second decision he chose to carry his son and run upstairs to safety.

Looking back, he said it was a wise move.

Madawala was one of 31 Aucklanders severely affected by the floods - 15 from Glen Eden,12 from New Lynn and 4 from Glendene.

He had been relying on community support after losing most of what he, and his family, owned in the flash floods that swept across Auckland on March 12. Madawala, who emigrated to the country from Sri Lankain 2011, said Kiwis had done more for him in the past week than his relatives.

Immediately after the floods Auckland Civil Defence Emergency Management arranged emergency accommodation and on March 17 his family had been moved to an Auckland Transport (AT) owned apartment in Mt Eden, where the family would stay until April.

Civil Defence gave the family basic necessities including food and nappies. His two-year-old son’s kindergarten provided clothes for the toddler.

The Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu-Chi Foundation provided a cash card preloaded with $1000 and The Salvation Army helped out too.

But his journey was far from over.

The flood damaged his car beyond repair and the family was relying on a $100 AT Hop card for transport.

He said he was unsure how far their budget would stretch. His wife works in the city, his office is in south Auckland and his son’s kindergarten is in west Auckland.

The accountant said he had the flexibility to work from home but his laptop had been damaged by water.

Madawala said he was still ‘‘processing’’ what happened that Sunday afternoon.

He said he was no stranger to financial hardship and natural disasters.

In 2004 he saw first hand the devastation caused by the Indian Ocean Tsunami in his native Sri Lanka.

He said he had ‘‘lost everything’’ to Tasman Tempest but was overwhelmed by the support of the government agencies and community.