All hands to the pump in rural Bay of Plenty as second cyclone looms
NIWA forecaster Ben Noll says New Zealand may see another round of heavy rainfall from today as Tropical Cyclone Cook tracks southeastward in the open waters of the South Pacific.
“A plume of heavy downpours will target the North Island from today ranging from Northland all the way down to the Central Plateau,” says Ben. “There are two peaks – one late this afternoon and this evening and the second tomorrow afternoon and evening. The areas most affected are likely to Bay of Plenty and Coromandel where rainfall may generally range from 200 to 400 mm in the hardest hit areas.”
“Soils that are already saturated and bloated waterways mean a higher risk of flooding, as water may run off and not be absorbed by the ground.”
The Bay of Plenty Rural Support Trust has been working with Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) and the current rural adverse event network (Federated Farmers, Fonterra, ANZ and DairyNZ) to visit every farm in the affected area and carry out a rapid needs assessment.
Visit details are being put into a real-time app as they go door to door, building on feedback from the Kaikoura / Hurunui / Marlborough earthquake to reduce repeat visits by different groups and volunteers, and making sure that information on needs gets action right away.
New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc. CEO Nikki Johnson says, “The focus at this stage is on pumping water from orchards to enable harvest to take place and to limit the long-term damage to the plants. The increased chance of additional flooding from further rain would make this task more difficult.”
Kiwifruit growers with significant damage or who requiring assistance are being asked to contact NZKGI on +64 0 800 252 505.
source: scoop.co.nz