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The Tairawhiti region has been completely cut off in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo Credit: Bryan Lorenz.
Federated Farmers say they have not forgotten the currently isolated Tairawhiti region.
The region has been left isolated, without power, road access, or phone signal since Cyclone Gabrielle hit the area earlier this week.
Federated Farmers national board member and local farmer Sandra Faulkner is involved with the rural hub set up as part of the Emergency Management operation in Gisborne.
She says every effort is being made to find ways to contact isolated farms and ascertain needs.
Just one of the challenges is that there is a shortage of AvGas for helicopters.
"Rest assured, we know you’re out there," Faulkner says. "Broadcast radio may be the only contact some farms and homesteads here and in other districts have with the outside world. We’d be grateful to radio stations if they could relay this, and other Emergency Management, messages."
Today, NZPolice reported 1,442 people had been registered uncontactable via the Police 105 online reporting form. Most of them are from Hawke’s Bay and Tairawhiti.
“While we expect a large number of the reports to be the result of communication lines being down, Police can confirm there are several people missing in the Hawke’s Bay and Tairawhiti areas, for whom we have grave concerns,” Police said.
“With other storm-affected districts reporting they are able to manage their response within existing resources, Police National Headquarters is now focussed on critical support for Eastern District.”
12 Search and Rescue specialist staff have been deployed to the area to assist with recovery efforts in the area.
“We are aware that many of our staff in the Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne areas have themselves been affected by the storm, but they have continued to work hard to support rescue efforts, manage road closures, and make contact with isolated people.”
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.
If there was a silver lining in the tragedy that was Cyclone Gabrielle, for New Zealand Young Grower of the Year, Grace Fulford, it was the tremendous sense of community and seeing first-hand what good leadership looks like.
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