Cyclone Gabrielle: Rural Hawke's Bay community remains cut off

The rural Hawke's Bay community of Patoka remains cut off after Cyclone Gabrielle.

The only two access roads into the community have been washed out, leaving around 500 people stranded on limited food and fuel.

Neighbours are left pooling resources as supplies are helicoptered in.

Farmer Patrick Crawshaw told 1News putting his daughters on a helicopter flight out with family was "the toughest thing in the last week".

"We took that opportunity to get them out, get them to a safer place than what we could offer.

"It was hard saying goodbye, that's for sure," he said.

Some stranded residents are now cutting a route through slips.

"What else do you do?" Earthworks' Ryan Clark said. "There's no point in sitting around worrying, you just get on with it aye."

The community meet every day at lunchtime to make rosters and share fuel, with limited amounts being flown in.

"I think we're in an absolutely awesome community, I think we're lucky," one resident said.

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"We know that there's a lot of devastation in town," community board member Isabelle Crawshaw said.

"We're just lucky that all of our people out here are safe and accounted for."