This page provides information for preparing for and responding to floods, including factsheets, and links to websites and organisations that can help provide you with support.
Factsheets for preparing for a flood, recovering from a flood and health & safety post-flood
Developed in response to previous flood events, these three factsheets – Preparing for a Flood, Recovering from a Flood, and Health and Safety Post-Flood – are guidelines to help farmers prepare for rain events and deal with both the immediate and long-term consequences.
For farmers operating in flood-prone areas, the Preparing for a Flood factsheet gives farmers a checklist on what to do in an extreme rain event as well as outlining measures to help mitigate production losses due to flooding.
The Recovering from a Flood factsheet covers four aspects of the business; people, livestock, operational and land; and provides timelines and action-plans around each. This factsheet includes a decision tree and a detailed guide for re-grassing sediment.
The Health and Safety Post-Flood outlines farmers’ responsibilities when dealing with a volunteer workforce, covers-off the regulatory requirements for farmers and volunteers- and provides practical advice on ensuring everyone’s safety in what can be a dangerous environment.
- Adverse event management
- Preparing for a flood
- Recovering from a flood
- Managing stressed stock
- Health and Safety Post-Flood
- Advice about Leptospirosis during floods
- Feed budgeting
Guidelines for health and safety of volunteers working on farms post-flood
Download Health and Safety Post-Flood guidelines
Suggestions on how to use the details contained in the above pamphlet.
Do your stock need access to grazing?
If you need emergency feed, generators, large capacity water pumps, help moving stock or cleaning up, please call Federated Farmers freephone 0800 376 646, option 2 or the Rural Support Trust on 0800 787 254.
Advice from MPI
- Continue to listen to your local radio station for civil defence instructions.
- Help others if you can, especially people who may require special assistance.
- Throw away food and water that has been contaminated by floodwater.
- Avoid drinking or preparing food with tap water until you are certain it is not contaminated.
- Ensure stock and domestic animals have food, water, and shelter where necessary, and are secure. Ensure that all stock injuries are promptly attended too, after human needs are meet.
- Look for and report broken utility lines. Treat all lines as live.
- If your property is damaged, take notes and photographs for insurance purposes. Lodge insurance claims as soon as possible.
- Assess damage to water supply and reticulation systems. Which troughs are contaminated with silt and will need cleaning?
- Assess damage to access lanes, tracks, gateways, culverts and fences. What clearing away of flood debris is needed?
- Assess damage to pastures, the depth and type of silt.
- Assess available non-flooded pastures and other undamaged feed reserves.
- Use the resources available. Contact local council civil defence flood relief co-ordinator, industry groups, Federated Farmers, Rural Support Trusts, Rural Women NZ, or other resource providers.
- Please accept help when offered, and ask for it if you need it.
- Animal welfare in emergencies