Repair delays are certain

The real strain on building and construction staff is yet to come, says Master Builders South Canterbury president Steven Brooks in the wake of Wednesday’s hailstorm.

‘‘At the moment it’s just patch up. The repairs aren’t going to start for a week or two maybe because the materials aren’t in town – no-one holds enough to cover what’s happened.

‘‘There is going to be a lot of hold ups, there’s no way around that. We just don’t have the staff to keep up with everything.’’

Brooks said it was unlikely companies would bring more staff in. It would just be a case of working hard to get stuff done as quickly as possible and people could expect delays.

‘‘It’s roofers and everything, everything we’re going to need we’re going to be be short of.’’

He said the clear plastic sheeting used for roofs, which was running short in Timaru after the storm shattered roofs made of the material, is largely being brought down from Christchurch and he wasn’t too concerned about supply.

An Insurance Council of New Zealand spokesperson said the cost of the damage will not be known for a few weeks but insurance companies were being inundated with claims, some companies have even set up temporary bases in Timaru.

Carol Newman, branch manager at recruitment company Stafford Personnel, said there had not been an immediate increase in building and construction vacancies but that companies were still in the assessing period and the demand for workers could still come.

‘‘It’s too early to tell, they are still assessing damage and different areas have been impacted.

‘‘At the moment we’ve noticed the agricultural clients have had to cancel some workers because of damage to plants and produce.’’

Timaru District Council said it is expecting a lot of green waste over the next few weeks as people clean up their gardens after the storm.

‘‘It’s great that everyone is doing their bit to help clear the pavements of leaves and other debris,’’ a council spokesperson said.

‘‘We’d ask that if you are using your green bin to ensure that only organic material goes in there, no plastic as it can’t be composted, and please don’t brush it into the gutters as it will block up the storm drains.’’

Any purely green waste can be dropped off at Redruth Resource Recovery Park for the lower cost of $76 a tonne, as opposed to $220 a tonne for general rubbish, with a minimum charge of $10.

‘‘So it’s worth your while to ensure organics are kept separate.’’