Active Front / Gale NW'ers - Sept 10-13

Razor · Unread post by **Razor** » Sun 15/09/2013 23:59

Had the chance to explore inland a bit today. Quite 'blown away' by the damage to trees and irrigators...but agree with sentiment of many that my farming compatriots need to think a bit harder about asset protection. It will happen again, its just a matter of when. Maybe next year, maybe 30 years, either way it pays (quite literally) to be prepared for the inevitable

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Mon 16/09/2013 06:20

Razor wrote:Had the chance to explore inland a bit today. Quite 'blown away' by the damage to trees and irrigators...but agree with sentiment of many that my farming compatriots need to think a bit harder about asset protection. It will happen again, its just a matter of when. Maybe next year, maybe 30 years, either way it pays (quite literally) to be prepared for the inevitable

No doubt the farmers have had a wake up call. The manufacturer should have been educating the farmers on how to protect the units in the wind. They should supply wind threshold data and obviously a change in orientation would have provided protection. The bottom line is that anything that is not well anchored to the ground can tumble in high winds. The bigger or longer the irrigator the more likely it is to tumble.

Richard · Unread post by **Richard** » Mon 16/09/2013 06:46

Yes talking with a cockie yesterday about the subject, he agreed very much and felt that the insurance companies will from now on set tighter requirements around making sure that pivots are parked in a down wind position at least.
The dairy farmers who didn't take adequate care of there pivots and had them wrecked could well pay the price because many wont be able to have them repaired till near xmaz time, if they are on the light land and the weather becomes dry...well they'll be in the ****.

moylanr · Unread post by **moylanr** » Mon 16/09/2013 10:22

I know you cant believe everything you read...but I did notice "Farmers pointed big centre pivots downwind, but the strength of the wind simply toppled them or tore the valuable swing arms." on http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/power-s ... up-5582852. Maybe some were proactive, some weren't and anchors will be used next time?

Richard · Unread post by **Richard** » Mon 16/09/2013 10:48

Many of the wrecked pivots in the Culverden area are not laying pointing to the SE,its impossible for them to have been pointed down wind but to end up laying cross wind.

trickytiger · Unread post by **trickytiger** » Mon 16/09/2013 11:56

Went for a drive around the place yesterday and only noticed beside the Balmoral Forest the last span of one pivot was upside down, pivot was facing towards the forest.

moylanr · Unread post by **moylanr** » Mon 16/09/2013 12:09

From latest media release:

The number of Orion customers without power this morning has reduced to 1,500 from the original 28,000 customers that lost electricity supply on Tuesday night due to gale force winds.

“As the work continues it has become clear that the damage to our network from trees is so extensive that there are numerous repairs needed with each repair typically restoring fewer than 20 customers”, says Orion’s CEO Rob Jamieson.

“This wind storm is proving far more damaging than any other wind storm event we have experienced in recent memory”, continued Mr Jamieson.

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Active Front / Gale NW'ers - Sept 10-13

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