Barrie Angland might live in Palmerston North, but as Cyclone Gabrielle ripped through the East Coast early last year, he too got swept up in the disaster.
He is an amateur radio operator, and for a couple of years he'd been talking to Mike, a fellow operator just outside Gisborne.
When Barrie saw a satellite photo of the cyclone coming towards Mike, he checked in.
The morning after the storm, Mike needed to get a message out, to his daughter in the UK.
"So what are you going to do? Stand there and wait for someone to tell you do something or do it? So you do it."
Suddenly, one message became many, as those stuck in Gisborne found out Mike could get messages out through Barrie.
"The first ones were this desperation to tell their fathers or mothers or daughters that 'hey, I'm okay," said Angland.
The communication went both ways, as people from around the world sought Barrie to send messages into Gisborne.
"When you got some of those messages back from overseas, it was really incredible."
It wasn't just Barrie and Mike, a whole network of amateur radio enthusiasts stuck into action.
Barrie said he had 27 on his list that were helping him at some stage.
In this very modern disaster, Barrie was happy his traditional technology was not just relevant, it was vital.
Watch the video above which demonstrates that old fashioned technology still has its place.
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