Published as Issue No. 75
3 July, 2013
Kae Miller Founder’s Day: Saturday July 13 from 1 p.m. Sounds very formal but it’s an open invitation to spend part of the afternoon getting to know about everything that’s going on at the View Rd Reserve. There’s heaps, hope to see you there. [No attachment].
TRiG working bee: 2pm this Saturday near the Alice Krebs Lodge.
Has life returned to normal after the storm? The answer for many local people is a firm “Not yet.” Although in Houghton Valley the event was as big (or maybe bigger) than the Wahine storm, there have been no reports of people badly hurt. Bruised and knocked around possibly and traumatized likely, with weeks/months of home re-building, recovery and resettling. At least seven houses lost their roofs; others lost fences, garden sheds, garage doors and windows. Holes in walls appeared, power and phones/Internet loss was widespread. Many trees, especially Pines and Ngaio were knocked over. A car was damaged when a roof landed on it. Many stories of support have emerged, some heroic as people went searching (on their hands and knees) for their neighbours hiding in roofless homes unable to find safety.
It seems many people adopted the civil defence advice – stay indoors and care first for family and then offer help to those nearby – shelter, food and support. Since the Christchurch earthquake there have been two well attended local meetings to consider if and how a Houghton Valley support network could be created for such events, but it’s hard to envisage how any network beyond helping those next door could have worked two weeks ago.
Will another big southerly come through this year? Does anyone have suggestions about how as a community we might organise and prepare for whatever is next? What might you do differently? Your suggestions may help others. Email us or put them on the Facebook page.
Photo documentation of the storm has also been started on the Facebook page, so use your phone and send the photos there.
Accommodation wanted: My 38 year old son is moving back to Wellington and would like to live in the area. Do you have a studio, bed-sit, flat or shared house to rent? He would also be interested in house sitting. Miranda.
Norman and Grant