Some people will use any excuse not to go to work - but Hastings district councillor Deborah Turner would have to be the exception.
Cr Turner lives at Puketitiri and during the windy weather yesterday morning she came across the perfect excuse not to attend the day's council meeting to discuss
the long-term council community plan.
A tree had fallen across Hukanui Road, blocking her path to work at 8am yesterday.
"I always allow about an hour to get to work, just in case something happens," Cr Turner said.
"There were several branches across the road, so I had to return home and get the chainsaw ... luckily my husband was still at home so he was able to do it (cut and remove the branches) for me," she said.
Cr Turner said some homes in the Puketitiri area also lost power yesterday morning when a pine tree fell onto power lines and sparked a fire at 5am yesterday.
"So the Puketitiri Fire Brigade dealt with that. We've got a good team up there and they were there very quickly," she said.
Hastings district rural fire officer, Mark Boere, said a member of the Puketitiri Fire Brigade had spotted the fire on the edge of his property and was able to respond immediately.
He said after the fire was brought under control, power company Unison was called to repair the lines.
Mr Boere said from reports he received, power was probably out for about two or three hours in Puketitiri.
In another incident, police were called to Te Haroto yesterday morning when a power pole was broken in half following the windy weather.
