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An aerial view of Southland flooding on Thursday last week. Photo: High Country Helicopters/Facebook.
Organisers behind the Farmy Army, a clean-up group operating in flood-ravaged Southland are calling for volunteers.
The Federated Farmers-led group had over 100 volunteers working across Southland farms yesterday: around the same number will be back on farms today.
So far, the group has helped out on 26 farms in Southland and two in Otago, says Federated Farmers territory managers team leader, Laura Sanford.
“We’ve received a great response so far, but we still need people to stick their hand up to volunteer,” says Sanford.
Sanford encourages anyone who wants to help to get involved.
“The volunteers are a wide mix of demographics, age groups, and skill levels,”
“Community groups, businesses, and urban people from Invercargill have all been helping out.”
Sanford is also urging farmers not to hesitate in asking for help.
“If farmers think they will benefit from an Army on their farm, they should put their hand up... we're urging farmers not to sit on the fence."
A rare weather double-whammy has seen many South Island farmers having to deal with unseasonal snow while still cut off from power supplies after an unprecedented windstorm.
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