Under the Weather

A narrow escape. A chance meeting. Water rises around the chopper as Cam and Geoff take flight.

⚠️ Some content may be distressing. Listener discretion is advised.

The Taylor family home is perched 12 meters above the Tutaekuri River. But by 5.30am on February 14th 2023, the river is on their doorstep and rising. There's no time for anything but escape. They're lucky to get out with their lives and their dogs. Once they'r...

After a deluge of impossible choices, Al is all out of options.

⚠️ This episode covers some distressing themes, including suicide and the loss of Al's dogs. Listener discretion is advised.

After a stormy night, all seems well as day dawns on February 14th 2023. They've dodged a bullet, but the gun is loaded. Before long, Pakowhai is under siege as the rivers close in on the small, rural community. There's no high ground ...

Trapped amidst the carnage, the Cave family waits as a desperate search begins.

⚠️ Some listeners may be distressed by this content.

When all hope of rescue is gone, they are forced to spend the night in their flooded home. They lie awake as it slowly disintegrates around them. Their youngest daughter, Alex, is enduring her own ordeal. Undeterred by false reassurance, she embarks on a relentless search for her missing family. It is t...

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 fro...

Under the cover of night, the river swells. All hopes of escape from Sudley Farm are swallowed whole.

⚠️ This episode follows a harrowing ordeal in Dartmoor and deals with loss of life. Listener discretion advised.

It’s 1988 and Cyclone Bola leaves its mark on the collective memory of Hawke’s Bay and NZ. Sally and David Prins had already been farming in Dartmoor for about 15 years and remember the construction of the stop bank that f...

Continue the tour of duty with Davey and Storm in flood-ravaged Esk Valley and beyond.

⚠️ This episode contains reflections on Cyclone Gabrielle which may be distressing to some listeners. Discretion is advised.

Storm has learned that the trail of destruction extends far beyond Esk Valley. Davey has heard terrible news in the control room as distress calls pour in from around the region. The situation is grim. Join them and their 5/7...

Cries for help slice through the roar of water as Storm and Davey arrive in Esk Valley.

⚠️ This episode includes references to the tragic loss of life in the Esk Valley area during Cyclone Gabrielle. Listener discretion is advised.

SSGT Davey Forbes and SGT Storm Harrison arrive at 03:30 as water pours through Esk Valley. As they plough into the flood, a massive surge swamps the Unimog and forces a hasty retreat. It’s a near miss tha...

Join SSGT Davey Forbes and SGT Storm Harrison on global deployments as they set the scene for Cyclone Gabrielle.

⚠️ This episode refers to NZDF personnel who have died in the line of duty. Listener discretion advised.

Davey and Storm were among the first to arrive in Esk Valley before dawn on February 14th. Before sharing their story, they offer some fascinating insights into our defence force. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hea...

Two brothers, two families, one night that changes everything.

⚠️ This story may be emotionally distressing for some listeners. Discretion is advised.

It’s near midnight on February 13th 2023, when Philip and Chris realise it’s too late to escape the rising threat in Esk Valley. As the river continues to rise, their options evaporate. Within hours, their homes and businesses are lost forever. In this opening episode of ‘Under the Wea...