Nature in control - not us

"UNEXPECTED" was how the MetService understated the torrent of rain that fell on the Wanganui region on Saturday.

On Friday our national weather forecaster issued severe weather warnings for several areas - hard to believe in the aftermath, but Wanganui was not among them. However, on Saturday, June 20 - a day that may live in infamy for some while - a month's rain fell in 24 hours.

I say this not to apportion any blame, but simply to point out that the experts are not foolproof.

Despite the advances in technology, despite the most sophisticated computer modelling, they just didn't see it coming.

And that's the way it is with nature - she plays to her own rules. And the cleverer and smarter mankind gets in controlling, harnessing and predicting the forces of nature, it seems the more she pulls another trick out of the bag.

At the weekend a power beyond our control has left us stunned, bewildered and struggling to recover - a painful lesson about our place in the scheme of things.

Climate change and conservation advocates may feel we have brought some of this on ourselves, but I doubt they will take any consolation from the devastation that poured down on our region. One thing going for us was the improved organisation and effectiveness of what is now a pretty slick emergency management response.

New Zealand's Civil Defence is better prepared and resourced than in times past and people moved quickly and efficiently to mitigate the impacts of the deluge.

But those whose homes have been flooded face a long and difficult road back to life as normal, and for the farmers and rural folk, we are talking months - maybe years. The cost to our vital farming community is likely to be in the millions of dollars, and that is a lot of catching up to do.

All those who have suffered will need help and support as the recovery gets under way.