We’ve all been seeing the devastating scenes of damage caused by Cyclone Gabrielle and many of us are helping in a variety of ways. One way of making a meaningful contribution is via the Adopt a Community Scheme.
The scheme matches our council with a council and community badly hit by the cyclone. It’s a nationwide initiative that connects communities with some of the most devastated regions. For those of us who want it, it gives us a direct connection with a badly affected community. Under this scheme, Mackenzie and Ashburton Districts Councils have been matched with Masterton District.
We know that getting a community back on their feet after an event like this is a marathon not a sprint. That’s especially true with a disaster at this scale.
The cyclone damaged the eastern and coastal parts of Masterton District, where the small rural settlement of Tinui was particularly badly hit by flooding.
As well as a number of damaged houses in the small settlement, there is extensive flood damage to fences and pastures in the area which will take a lot of work and time to repair. In many cases, affected pastures will need to be first cleared of silt and then likely resown before they can be returned to productive use.
Their mayor, Gary Caffell said ‘the damage to the coastal communities in the Masterton district has been devastating. Thank god no lives were lost but many millions of damage to roads, schools, homes and property and big stock losses as well. As Mayor of Masterton I would be extremely grateful for any extra support you can provide. Thanks absolutely heaps.’
Donations can be made to their Mayoral Relief Fund: Masterton District Council Westpac Account 03-0687-0271682-03, using the reference ‘WAISTORM’.
