By 3 News online staff
Three months on from the damaging floods and heavy rain that swept across the western North Island, the total cost has finally been tallied and it's reached $70 million.
The storm affected the Taranaki and Horizons regions, including up to 800 rural properties.
Sheep and beef farms were hit the hardest with landslides and damage to infrastructure.
Ministry for Primary Industries director of resource policy David Wansborough says around 460 sheep and beef farms were affected, with the on-farm economic impact estimated to be $57.6 million. Silt from the flooding cost dairy farms $6.4 million and crop losses cost the horticulture industry $1.2 million.
Aside from that, around 800-900 hectares of plantation forest was damaged and is estimated to cost around $1.2 million to re-establish.
The Government classified the storm as a medium-scale adverse event and funding was made available to farmers to recover from the damage.
Grants have also been made to regional councils for land management through the Hill Country Erosion Fund.
Anyone who needs support or assistance should contact their local Rural Support Trust on 0800 787 254 or visit their website.
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