An Edgecumbe flood victim has been living in a motel in Whakatane for almost two months.
Arlene Watters was lying in bed just before the Rangitaiki River smashed through a concrete stopbank in April.
She was waiting for her caregiver, Mavis Wilson, to arrive to get her out of bed, unaware of what was going on outside.
Ms Wilson said she arrived at Ms Watter's house amongst all the panic.
"The neighbour came to me and said, 'Quickly get her out of bed - no shower, nothing. Just get her out. See that bank - it's going to burst'," Ms Wilson told Newshub.
"Mavis ran down the hallway and got me up and my two other caregivers and their husbands, they came and got my supplies and everything and then yeah, it was all on," Ms Watters said.
After spending a few days in Rotorua, the 45-year-old moved into a motel in Whakatane.
She doesn't know how long she'll be in the motel but says she's comfortable there for now.
"You just have to adapt to where you're going to be and hey, this is home for a little bit, so till I get back home."
It's not clear when that will be. The Bay of Plenty Regional Council is looking to purchase homes in her area as they need the land to build a new stopbank.
Part of Ms Watter's property may be affected.
But she's eager to get home, saying she misses helping her community.
"I used to go and take some elderly people their shopping all the way down to the retirement village," she said.
"They used to love it because you see them struggling going home and I'd just take their bags off and go and deliver to their house."
This is the second time Ms Watter's life has been changed because of the Rangitaiki River, after an accident in it when she was 16.
"I had just finished exams at school and I went for a swim in the river. I ran along the river bank and did a flip, but the flip didn't turn out right."
She says she's a positive person and just wants to get on with her life.
"Hopefully Edgecumbe will be a better place and nothing like that will ever happen again."
Newshub.
