Last year Wairoa, a small farming community on New Zealand’s east coast, was forced to close its only retirement home. The facility was badly damaged in Cyclone Gabrielle and the cost to repair it, along with the risk of future flooding, was deemed too high.
The town was already struggling before the cyclone hit a year ago. Its housing stock was poorly built and in short supply. The disaster damaged one-third of its 1,500 homes, leaving many beyond repair. Some residents have moved back into damaged homes and are making do without running water, working bathrooms and, in some cases, walls. Many in the town feel frustration over the pace of the recovery, with hundreds estimated to be still living in temporary accommodation.
