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.
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