Kerre Woodham: Where do we even begin with the clean-up?

I was listening to Justine Wilson this morning, the woman Mike interviewed who runs the KiwiEsk Luxury Lodge in Esk Valley.

Mike was asking for her reaction to the announcement yesterday that businesses hit by cyclone damage can get grants of up to $40,000 to help with the immediate costs of the damage. Cyclone Recovery Minister Grant Robertson said more announcements on funding support will be made in the coming days and weeks.

All well and good.

It will be seen as a boon for some people, but you can hear the voice of Justine Wilson that 40K was neither here nor there.  Her home and business has been completely devastated. The level of silt and rubbish and muck is incomprehensible.

She just needs a plan, a blueprint of what to do from here. 

For many of us this is unchartered territory. A massive flood, a landslide, a damaged home or business written off. 

Where do we start the clean-up?

The clean-up and clearance that has to be done before we can even think about rebuilding. I wouldn't even know where to begin. If you're lucky, you'll have a Brown Buttabean in your community.

Someone who steps up, takes charge, gets rid of rubbish, cleans out homes, restocks them with furniture and food. That's what Dave Letele did, and his team, in the immediate aftermath of Auckland's massive floods, and that work is ongoing both in Auckland and Hawkes Bay.

The Wairoa community have taken upon themselves to begin the clean-up. Because in effect, they have to. They're cut off for most of the country except for air, so the only way they can see an improvement in their day-to-day lives is by rolling up their sleeves and making that improvement themselves. 

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