From floodwaters to new beginnings
When devastating floods ripped through her town, Deirdre lost everything. With just $200 to her name and no insurance, her home was destroyed and her future suddenly uncertain. Alone with her young daughter, Deirdre found herself facing a situation she never imagined.
‘I was completely lost, emotionally, spiritually and physically. I had nothing left to fall back on except my faith. The only thing that kept me going was standing in the storm and praying,’ she recalls.
For years, Deirdre had been the one helping others in her community. Then, overnight, she became the person in need. After being unable to access emergency accommodation, Deirdre was left wondering where she and her daughter would sleep. ‘That was a dark moment. I was told to pay for a motel myself, but I didn’t know how we’d afford food or clothing. I had no idea what we were going to do next,’ she says.
Determined to find a way forward, Deirdre moved to another city to start again. Civil Defence provided three nights in a motel, but beyond that, she had no plan and nowhere to go. ‘I could only think a few centimetres in front of me. I didn’t know what Monday would look like.’
But then, Deirdre received a message from David, a Salvation Army social worker. A friend had contacted a local Salvation Army centre in the hope that someone could help her. ‘David was the light at the end of the tunnel,’ she says. ‘He said, “I’ve got a place for you.”’
What happened next felt nothing short of extraordinary. They moved directly into transitional housing. ‘The accommodation he organised became available on the exact day I had to leave the motel,’ Deirdre says. ‘There were no gaps. It all just fell into place.’
Thanks to generous supporters like you, Deirdre experienced what she describes as a ‘flood of blessings’. ‘Everything I needed came to me,’ she says. ‘Housing, clothing through Family Stores, budgeting support, counselling—it was all there.’
David played a key role in guiding her through the process. ‘He showed such warmth and compassion,’ she says. ‘That meant everything. It allowed me to open up, to share my story and to trust the support being offered.’
Thanks to your support, Deirdre received financial mentoring advice helping her to regain control over her finances. ‘It gives me clarity,’ she explains. ‘Knowing what’s going where—it’s empowering. I know exactly what I have to spend on fuel for the car, how much for food and how much for the other things.’ Your kindness also helped to provide Deirdre with counselling, which has allowed her to begin processing the trauma of losing her home and everything in it.
Deirdre has also been navigating significant health challenges. ‘Having a safe, warm place to live—that’s 75 percent of my healing,’ she says. The impact of your generosity has extended beyond Deirdre to her entire whānau. Her older children and grandchildren have seen first-hand how quickly things have turned around. ‘It’s had a domino effect. What started as despair has become happiness, peace and joy,’ she says. Her youngest daughter has remained grounded through the upheaval, continuing her schooling and routine.
Now, Deirdre is preparing to move into long-term social housing. ‘I’ve got a new home waiting. I even woke up the other day thinking, “I don’t want to leave where I am now—I love it here”,’ she says. Reflecting on the past few weeks, she’s filled with gratitude. ‘The journey has been phenomenal. If The Salvation Army hadn’t been there, I don’t know where I’d be. But now I’m seeing brighter days,’ says Deirdre.
Thanks to caring supporters like you, Deirdre and her daughter found safety, stability and hope when they needed it most. Your generosity helped turn a time of overwhelming loss into the beginning of a brighter future.
Photo: David, left, and Deirdre.