A beloved family dog has been found alive in Hastings despite being presumed dead when up to six metres of floodwaters swept through.

Darryl Grant was surprised to find his sister-in-law’s dog Lucy in their home on Brookfields Rd in Pakowhai, an area that has been heavily evacuated after Cyclone Gabrielle hit on Tuesday.

Despite the floodwaters reaching up to six metres at its peak, 10-year-old Lucy was alive and well, albeit a bit shaken.

“We thought we were going to find a dead dog,” Grant said.

“We’re going to call her Lucky Lucy now.”

Other animals at the property weren’t so fortunate. Four cows, 13 sheep and half a dozen chickens perished in the flood.

Lucy wasn’t the only dog to escape disaster - the police dogs at the Hawke’s Bay dog base had to be rescued by their handlers as the waters flowed through.

Eastern District Police confirmed on social media they were able to get all their staff and dogs to safety.

SPCA’s Hawke’s Bay area manager Bruce Wills said the effect on the animals in the region is hard to comprehend as yet, especially as the full extent is not known.

“We’ve heard some absolutely harrowing stories of people barely surviving themselves, and seeing all their animals drown, livestock and companion animals, which is distressing even to hear the stories let alone the people that have experienced it.

“It’s just unimaginable what they’ve been through,” he said.

The SPCA has been playing a support role to the other rescue groups and is helping set up an emergency animal shelter at the Hastings racecourse.

SPCA Inspectors are working with Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), the Massey University Veterinary Emergency Response Team (VERT) and HUHA to coordinate animal rescue and emergency housing for pets in the region.

Wills said they were dealing with injured livestock and companion animals, but were “limited” in their ability to reach the most affected areas.

The Napier SPCA was cut off and had no electricity, with 140 animals to care for.

“In terms of livestock there’s been quite a few injuries. There’s wide-scale devastation with livestock in the area. Many livestock have drowned, it’s catastrophic, really.”

They now needed to prepare for how to feed all the displaced livestock as the ability to ship them out to undamaged pastures was unavailable.

Paddocks around the regions were destroyed and covered in silt, meaning there were “ongoing issues with the animals that are alive, in terms of feed”.

“We need the roads open, for a start. Everything is so hampered by lack of access, which is quite frustrating.”

The team had planned to take some animals out of the Napier centre when the road between Napier and Hastings briefly reopened.

“Then, of course, they promptly shut the road and a staff member was trapped on the other side ... that thwarted our plan.”

A group of 30 cats and kittens have been sent from the Hastings centre down to Wellington SPCA to make room for animals in need. More animals may be sent to smaller centres in Levin and Masterton.

Wellington SPCA will hold a promotion to try to adopt out as many of the kittens as possible.

Wills said any adoptions would be “helping us immensely”.

The centre will be doing a walk-in adoption event from 10am-2pm on Saturday with half-price adoptions, as they are now at full capacity for kittens. People can view the kittens without making an appointment.

SPCA chief executive Gabby Clezy said they along with many others were dealing with the “ongoing devastation continuing to unfold”.

“Our SPCA teams are doing everything in their power to support animals affected by this devastating natural disaster, along with animals already in our care. Despite many of our staff being impacted themselves, and many without phone contact in several areas, we are working to assess the situation and provide help where we can.

“Seeing images and footage of animals in distress and escaping flood waters, is absolutely heartbreaking and we are so grateful to members of the public who were able to step in and take animals to safety where possible. Knowing people and animals have lost their lives during this is so very tragic.

“As part of our response to the cyclone, we have dispatched our trained staff to assess the impacted areas and have sent support from Wellington to Hawke’s Bay. We are working closely with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), which is leading the emergency response for displaced animals, as well as other animal welfare rescue groups, to ensure that animals receive the best possible care and support.

“We understand that many people are deeply concerned about their pets and other animals affected by the cyclone, and we are doing everything we can to provide assistance and support. While this situation is still unfolding, we will no doubt have a greater understanding of its impact on animals in the days to come.”

SPCA Inspectorate team lead Phillipa Lamb said small donations of blankets, towels, toys, dog crates and good quality dog leads would be appreciated and could be dropped off at the SPCA Centre on Heathcote Road, Hastings.

Tips for owners

• Check your pets for any injuries and seek veterinary care if necessary.
• Keep your pets on a leash: if you need to take them outside, make sure they are on a leash to prevent them from running away or getting lost.
• If you evacuated and your animal is still left in your house, please contact MPI on 0800 00 83 33
• If you have lost your pet – or found someone else’s – please post this to lostpet.co.nz
• The storm may have caused changes to the environment, so be cautious of unfamiliar surroundings and make sure your pets are supervised at all times and do not let them run into floodwaters.

- Additional reporting: Mark Mitchell