A bridge falls. A river rises. The Cave family wake up to a home under siege.

⚠️ Some listeners may be distressed by this content.

In the early hours of February 14th 2023, a family sleeps. None of them knows what’s coming, but Sam has a haunting premonition. Only a few hours later, they wake up surrounded by flooding. Those who’ve slept downstairs are trapped; hostages to the river. As Neal fights to free them, Suzanna hears the front door splintering under the pressure of the rising water. They need to move fast.

This is a story of paradise lost. A Tuscan villa. A lush vineyard, almost ready to yield its grapes. A harvest that never happens. The Cave family watch in shocked disbelief as a way of life is swallowed whole. The water silently follows them as they retreat upstairs. When it begins lapping over the balcony, they must weigh up their options.

They eye up the hills in the distance, but the water there is torrential. Swimming is quickly ruled out. Not knowing when the water will stop, Neal and Sam undertake huge risks to get onto the roof. Once there, they survey a scene of endless flooding. It’s so extensive that a terrible thought immediately strikes them - the whole of Hawke’s Bay is gone.

Fortunately, a brief exchange with Alex tells them otherwise. But this is just the beginning of a 2-day ordeal for all of them. Near the end of this episode, Neal and Sam spot an enormous shipping container heading directly for the house as Suzanna prepares their guests to swim for their lives.

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UNDER THE WEATHER has been featured on RNZ and Stuff. Links below to find out more.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360795376/devastation-healing-cyclone-gabrielles-untold-stories

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2019002009/tales-of-horror-and-heroism-in-cyclone-gabrielle-podcast

Chapters

00:00 Intro

01:40 Suzanna, Neal and Sam

03:55 A Tuscan villa

05:25 Before the cyclone

10:10 A premonition

12:45 The cold light of day

17:30 Trapped

21:30 Retreat

24:30 Spiderman

26:20 A leap of faith

28:20 The roof

30:40 Alex

33:15 The tide turns

35:00 A precarious perch

36:50 A near miss

40:00 Deathly silence

41:00 To be continued….

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All transcripts for UNDER THE WEATHER are AI-generated.