ON THE BLOCK? HIT THE BOOKS!

You can lead a townie to a lifestyle block but, first, it pays to think! To assist those inclined to escape to the country’, Auckland Emergency Management has produced a new handbook focused on preparing for emergencies.

time of year, but we may not see that with prices remaining elevated,” Mr Wilcox confirms. “The real pinch point will come around August to October when this crop reaches the end of its storage life. That’s when we’ll know how bad any shortages will be.”

Various types of produce (locally and elsewhere) have been impacted by severe weather, Anne-Marie Arts from United Fresh adds.

“Flooding exposes fresh produce to microbial risk. If floodwaters come in contact with the edible part of the crop, it is considered to be contaminated and will not be harvested. After flooding subsides, growers will not harvest a ected crops. Replanting will not occur for some time until it is dry and considered suitable. These delays might result in supply gaps.”

The Ultimate Price

While we wish the region’s hardest hit farmers, growers and other locals all the best as they rebuild, the greatest local loss due to extreme weather recently has to be the tragic death of retired teacher, Onewhero’s Dave Young. Rural Living would like to extend its condolences to his family, community and to those of others who lost their lives.

“Many lifestyle block owners new to rural life often lack the necessary information, resources and networks needed before, during and following an emergency,” says Paul Amaral from the Auckland Councilrun organisation. “The more you plan ahead, the better o you’ll be when it comes to caring for yourself, your family and your animals.”

O ering practical advice to bolster lifestyle block defences ahead of fires, floods, storms, and other weatherrelated emergencies, The Lifestyle Block Emergency Preparedness Handbook also details what to do when disaster strikes.

The handbook has been developed with input from organisations including Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).

“We can’t control nature,” MPI’s Georgina Kemp adds, “but we can decide what precautions to take ahead of time to help keep animals safe in an emergency.”