Flood damage exceeds $32m in Taranaki - Stuff.co.nz
Owners of Taranaki farms damaged in the devastating June floods may be facing repair bills of around $32 million. Taranaki Rural Support Trust (TRST) co-ordinator Marcia Paurini says about 400 farms have significant damage of, on average, about $80,000 for those without insurance. The farm damage was in addition to $3. 2 million of Government funding to repair public roads and bridges in the Waitotara Valley, around Douglas east of Stratford, in the Ararata area northeast of Hawera and in the Urenui-Uruti area. Farmers in those areas, 90 per cent of whom own sheep and beef properties, are receiving questionnaires from the TRST which wants to submit an accurate assessment of the damage to the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). The trust wants as many people as possible to fill out the questionnaires in the hope of receiving more MPI financial assistance for affected farmers. Paurini said every day farmers from those areas told her they were unable to deal with the destruction because the ground was still sodden. Silt was metres deep on some farms and damage to culverts, fences and bridges was extensive. Although farmers were perceived as stoic and resilient, many were shell-shocked by the floods, were worried about their farms and were sleeping poorly. Source: www.stuff.co.nz
