Weather: Falling trees kill sheep, cut power on Wairarapa farms

Fallen trees at the side of the road in Riversdale in Wairarapa on Thursday. Photo / RNZ, Mark Papalii

By RNZ

Many rural communities are clearing away fallen trees, debris and repairing fences in wind-battered regions, following yesterday’s storm.

Katie Wyeth, a Federated Farmers spokesperson for Wairarapa, said many farmers hadn’t even had time to clean up the damage from wind and rain earlier in the week, before yesterday’s extreme weather.

Wyeth said the conditions created havoc.

“We lost, I think at least five, and these are big old man poplar trees, big trees that came down, and one in particular that’s blocked off our main track accessway to one side of the farm, pulled up half the track and blocked a culvert,” she said.

“And then the main damage after that is just falling branches and things onto all our fence lines, particularly the waterways.

“A tree came down over a power line to our pump shed, so we’ve got no power or water to one side of that farm.”

Wyeth said falling trees killed several of their sheep.

Despite the damage and livestock deaths, she said most farmers will just roll up their sleeves and do what needs to be done.

“Probably be clearing trees, I imagine,” she said.

Federated Farmers' Katie Wyeth said chainsaws would be running hot after wind brought down trees. Photo / RNZ, Mark Papalii

“There’ll be a lot of chainsaws running red hot over the next few days, week or so.

“There might be people having to get diggers and stuff in to clean up some damage.

“Generally, most of the people, farmers I’ve spoke to, it’s fairly typical, they’ll say, oh, ... we’re not too bad compared to some people, but everyone says that, right?

“And they just get on with starting to get it cleared up.”

Wyeth said it was one extreme to the other for different parts of the Wairarapa region - with some farmers sloshing around in mud, while others needed more rain.

- RNZ