STRANDED BY THE QUAKE Kaikoura’s mass exodus by air
An Ohakea Air Force pilot helping people flee Kaikoura says some are leaving with only a supermarket bag full of belongings to their name.
Wing commander Scott Mckenzie, who is the commander of 3 Squadron at Ohakea Air Force Base, is one of four pilots flying NH90 helicopters with supplies into Kaikoura, then flying people out, after the magnitude 7.5 quake.
The helicopters are flying between Christchurch and Kaikoura, bringing in essentials like fuel, water, diesel for generators and toilet paper.
Mckenzie said they were also lifting people out, loading passengers on board 14 at a time, and transporting them to Woodend School in Christchurch where the Red Cross was waiting.
He said people who were leaving showed a variety of emotions.
‘‘I think there’s a fair amount of relief they have got out of there, there’s no running water, nothing in the way of food.’’
They were transporting out permanent residents as well as tourists stranded in the area.
‘‘A lot of the tourists are bringing their suitcases out but there [are] some people with supermarket shopping bags and that’s all they have got.
‘‘All they are bringing out is a change of clothes and toilet bag and that will be about it.’’
The damage to buildings was not obvious, but land damage was, Mckenzie said.
‘‘The damage around the land is quite catastrophic in some areas. There’s thousands and thousands of rocks and boulders on State Highway 1.’’
Other Manawatu residents were also heading out of town to lend a hand, with two structural engineers, from the Palmerston North City Council and GHD, headed to Wellington to help with safety checks on Wellington City Council’s facilities.
The affects from the earthquake had been widely felt physically, but some Manawatu farmers were also feeling the shock financially, with the loss of electricity putting a strain on their livelihoods.
Rongotea dairy farmers Susan Galea and her partner Cedric Backhouse have been without power since the 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck.
They were among 15,000 properties in Manawatu and Whanganui to suffer a power cut after the quake.
Galea and Backhouse have had to send their herd of dairy cows to a neighbour for milking, following two days where they weren’t milked at all.
‘‘Thankfully the cows are only milked once a day, but milk flow is cut when cows go for several days without being milked,’’ Backhouse said.
Galea said they had a generator keeping water troughs full for them and neighbours.
Federated Farmers Manawatu/ Rangitikei provincial president James Stewart said there were a few farmers without power, but most have had it restored.
‘‘It reinforces the need to be prepared. You can’t be prepared for everything, but we need to run milking sheds even if the power is off. A generator goes a long way.’’
About 200 properties in Manawatu were still without power on Tuesday evening- though this was caused by severe weather – and 98 homes in Pahiatua, without electricity since the earthquake, had it restored on Tuesday night.