A Wairarapa leader’s property was saved from destructive winds by the local fire brigade.
Adrienne Staples, recently re-elected as Wairarapa representative on the Greater Wellington Regional Council [GWRC], had high praise for the Featherston volunteer fire brigade, who arrived within five minutes of her call on Thursday.
“I just can’t fault them,” she said.
“I think they are fantastic and we are lucky to have them.”
Staples’ rural property near Featherston was hit hard by Thursday’s gale-force winds, with a gust of 163km per hour recorded there at 2pm. The wind speed averaged more than 100km/h for most of the day.
“We are used to wind here, but yesterday was something extraordinary,” she said.
“It was a very unusual weather pattern.”
Masterton, Carterton and South Wairarapa District Councils set up the Wairarapa Emergency Operations Centre amid a red wind warning for parts of the region on Thursday.
Staples said Thursday started off somewhat gusty but deteriorated rapidly.
“As the day went on it got worse and worse.”
She saw some corrugated iron stored outside had come loose. When she and her husband went out to secure it, they noticed more damage.
A five-metre-tall, three-metre-wide roller door on another building had been blown loose.
“It was flapping around like a flag,” she said.
In spite of their best efforts they couldn’t secure it in the high winds.
“It just broke the ropes. If it had come loose it could have hit the house.
“It could have done an awful lot of damage.”
By this time, the chook house was also breaking loose from its moorings.
“The chook shed was flapping back and forth like it was on a hinge,” she said.
“It was loose on three sides.”
At this point Staples called the fire brigade.
“They were here in just over five minutes,” she said.
They secured the massive roller door and the chicken run.
“They tied down the chook shed which was blowing away.”
Staples had only praise for the fire brigade.
“Our local Featherston fire brigade are just great. I just can’t fault them. You can say the same for all firefighters throughout New Zealand.
“I think they are fantastic and we are lucky to have them.
“I have had dealings with all of the fire brigades across Wairarapa. I have total admiration and support for all of them.”
Staples said they had been lucky as the rest of their property was relatively unscathed, and no large trees had come down.
“Nobody got hurt,” she said.
Staples has recently been re-elected for the fourth time to represent Wairarapa at GWRC.
“I’m extremely pleased to have been re-elected and thankful the community supported me,” she said.
Staples previously served as mayor of South Wairarapa District Council from 2004 to 2016. She was the first woman to serve in the role.
By Sue Teodoro, Local Democracy Reporter
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
