After losing everything in devastating floods, Deidre found herself facing unimaginable uncertainty. Through resilience, faith and the compassionate support of The Salvation Army, Deidre has gone from despair and instability to renewed hope, healing and a fresh beginning.

I was born and raised in Māngere, South Auckland. In 2016, I moved to Kaitāia to care for my father before he passed away. He gifted me the home I was living in—a place I thought would always be there for me and my family.
But everything changed during the March 2026 floods.

The floodwaters came through and completely destroyed my home. I lost everything. There was incredible support from Civil Defence and the Kaitāia community, but despite that, I found myself in a place of deep despair—emotionally, spiritually, physically and socially. I felt completely lost.

I had no insurance and nothing to fall back on. The only thing that kept me going was my faith. I stood in that storm and prayed—because that was all I had.

Out of nowhere, I received a message from David at The Salvation Army. It felt like I had known him for years. He said, ‘I’ve got a place for you—it’ll be ready soon.’ From that moment, doors began opening.

Within The Salvation Army, everything just fell into place—quickly and seamlessly. The support I received has been incredible. Housing, counselling, financial mentoring—everything came together in a way I never expected. It felt like I was being carried through the process.

By the third day, the exact day I had to leave the motel, the accommodation David had arranged was ready. There was no gap, no uncertainty. I packed my belongings, met him at the office and moved straight in.
There was no time to be overwhelmed by anxiety.

For the first time since the floods, I could breathe.

Eventually, I reached out to Work and Income for help. I told them I had nowhere to go with my daughter. I couldn’t return home—it was destroyed. But I was told the emergency housing system wasn’t open yet. I had about $207 to my name and was advised to pay for a motel myself. When I asked what we would eat or how we would survive, there were no answers.

That was one of my darkest moments.

Ironically, I had spent five years running a service in Kaitāia supporting vulnerable families in exactly these kinds of situations. I never imagined I would one day be in that position myself.

Despite everything, I had strong community support. One supporter asked me what I was going to do next.

I said I had no choice but to go to Auckland and try to find my feet. Civil Defence paid for three nights in a motel. But I remember thinking, what happens on Monday?

That’s when everything changed.

Today, I’m preparing to move into a permanent home. And honestly, I don’t even want to leave
where I am now—I feel safe, supported and at peace. When I reflect on the past few weeks, the journey
has been phenomenal.

The Salvation Army has been pivotal in this transformation. I’ve received counselling, financial mentoring and ongoing support all in one place. Every service has been compassionate, understanding and tailored to what I needed.

To be honest, without that support, my life could have gone in a very different direction. I might have had to send my daughter to live with someone else. I could have fallen into destructive coping mechanisms just to survive. That’s how dark things were.

But instead, I’m standing here today in a place of hope.

The weight I was carrying has lifted. My whole outlook has changed. I feel like I can breathe again.

Alongside everything else, I’ve also been navigating serious health challenges—chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an ongoing battle with breast cancer and a recent hospitalisation. But even
in that, I feel supported. I have stability now—a home, warmth, safety—and that alone is healing.
My family has seen the difference. My children and grandchildren are proud, and there’s a ripple effect of hope and stability through all of us.

One of the most powerful moments for me happened while I was in hospital. I met three other women, all from different backgrounds, and we started talking. We realised we were all connected by our experiences with The Salvation Army. Every one of us had a different story—but the same outcome: support, dignity and hope.

That moment really showed me the impact of what The Salvation Army does. It’s not just help, it’s transformation.

Looking back at the floods now, it still feels like yesterday. I haven’t been able to return home, it’s
too emotional and I don’t have the means to rebuild. But I’ve come to accept that this is a new beginning.
I’m now surrounded by my family in Auckland, including my younger daughter, who has handled everything with incredible strength. I’ve tried to keep life as normal as possible for her—her schooling, her routine—and she’s doing really well.

As I move forward, my focus is on stability. Having a home is already 75 percent of my healing. The rest is managing my health and continuing to engage with the support around me.

My advice to anyone going through something similar is simple: reach out.

Reach out, especially to The Salvation Army.

They offer everything under one roof, and the people are compassionate, patient and genuinely care. That made all the difference for me. I felt seen, respected and safe enough to share my story—and from there, I was lifted up.

Today, I can truly say I’ve gone from despair to hope.

And I’m so grateful.