Source: Radio New Zealand
A rain gauge measured 215mm of rain falling over a 12-hour period in the area during the weekend. Supplied
A Tolaga Bay farmer is “back at square one” just months after completing repairs to damage to his property from storms that hit four years ago.
A low pressure system brought heavy rain and thunderstorms to northern parts of the country over the weekend – causing surface flooding and felling trees, as well as stranding travellers and forcing the evacuation of up to 30 campers in Tolaga Bay.
Greg Shelton – who is also the area manager for Tolaga Bay Civil Defence – said it would take him at least three days to assess the extent of damage to his property.
But Federated Farmers said – while some farms had suffered significant damage – others would be welcoming a break in near drought conditions ahead of the storms.
‘Pretty damn hard’
Shelton said his farm was cut off and suffered extensive damage during intense localised downpours.
He said a rain gauge near his property – about 8 kms east of Tolaga Bay – had measured 215 mms of rain falling over a 12 hour period during the weekend.
He estimated more than half of that fell during an hour and a half of severe thunderstorms on Saturday night.
“Other farms around here were recording half or a quarter of that so unfortunately we got caught in that weather bomb. We got hit particularly hard for an hour and a half and that’s really what did the most of the damage,” Shelton said.
Shelton said his farm was “back at square one” just months after completing repairs following damage to his property during storms in March 2022.
“We’re dealing with most fences down, roads that need a lot attention. The main access road is a narrow pathway now to get vehicles in and out. Then we sit down and look at animal health issues and then boundary fences and try to prioritise everything.
“It is huge, there’s a lot of mud, a lot of logs, a lot of debris in them and it’s just a case of ‘we’ve been here before’ we just take a breath and try to prioritise things which is pretty damn hard,” Shelton said.
He estimated this storm’s repairs could take up to a year to complete.
“We know this will take all winter. We’re a steep hill country property. We have to fly gear out by helicopters – we just don’t get to a repair job by lunchtime,” Shelton said.
Shelton said he was “a possum caught in the headlights” on Sunday morning but he was grateful for the help of his son and his family to keep him grounded as they faced the task ahead.
He said the weekend’s events were the first time in nearly 40 years involvement in the local Civil Defence that he was unable to be a part of setting up the community’s emergency centre.
“The Uawa/Tolaga Bay Civil Defence team stood up and they had young people come on board and I can’t praise them enough,” he said.
‘Some people get hammered, some people get saved’
Federated Farmers Gisborne and Wairoa provincial president Charlie Reynolds said he was aware some farmers had been hit hard by the weather while others would have welcomed the rain.
He said the rain over the New Year break and last weekend was the first significant rainfall in the area since October.
“We were gearing up with MPI [Ministry for Primary Industries] to declare a drought. A lot of people were getting pretty worried.
“The first lot of rain – just before New Year’s Eve – just soaked into the ground which was brilliant. This second lot has filled the dams and tanks. It’s one of those mixed bags – some people get hammered some people get saved,” Reynolds said.
Community volunteers step up
Ūawa deputy Civil Defence officer Nori Parata said the area had generally fared relatively well as the direction of the weather system had limited the weather’s impact on the levels of the Hikuwai River.
She said nearly 40 people were still forced to take shelter in the Tolaga Bay Area School’s gymnasium on Saturday night – the majority being campers from low lying parts of the nearby Tolaga Bay Top 10 Camp.
Parata said the number of evacuees from the camp could have been higher but rising waters cut of the route between the camp and school.
“We were very pleased the camp operators took action when they did – at around 8.30 pm – while it was still light. If they had waited a couple of hours it would have been a very different situation. It would have been drama, the rain was torrential,” Parata said.
Parata said the she was grateful to local volunteers who sprang into action to set up mattresses and bedding and prepare the kitchen at the school for evacuees to use.
“They are a well oiled machine and they work well together. We had TV, we had packs of cards, there was a jovial atmosphere. When we gave them access to the wi-fi, the teenagers all cheered.”
She said State Highway 35 was been reopened to traffic ahead of 9 am on Sunday morning and evacuees were able to leave the gymnasium later that day.
Shelton said the community was getting used to preparing for adverse weather events as soon as forecasts showed severe weather on the way.
“This is going to be a norm unfortunately. Warmer water temperatures, warmer atmosphere, cooler ground temperatures, it’s a recipe for more events like this weather localised or throughout the Cape. We are going to get more of them I’m afraid,” Shelton said.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
