Stephen Thandi, a blueberry farmer at Kungala, south of Grafton, faces significant destruction after a severe storm struck his farm. The storm brought unbelievably high winds and hailstones the size of golf balls and bigger. As such, it wreaked havoc on his crops, assets, and infrastructure. Thandi estimates total losses may exceed $300,000.
The storm caused tremendous damage to Thandi’s farm. It tore a strip of tin roofing from the top of the shed and completely wrecked every metal building on the farm. Additionally, the blueberry netting which is critical to protecting the crops was charred as well. Media reports stated that most of Thandi’s produce had been left to rot on the ground after the storm moved through.
While the storm obliterated their infrastructure and battered other areas, there was a much more acute effect directly on Thandi’s blueberry crops. The wind and hail winds whupped a fair bit of the bush leaves and fruit right off the bushes, he reported. This ongoing devastation has resulted in a total loss of at least 50 percent of his crop. Thandi mentioned that his protected cropping areas suffered heavily as well.
“My neighbour said, ‘It’s like a freight train has gone through’, and when I got there, it was like a bomb had dropped on it,” – Stephen Thandi
Damage Overview
This may have contributed to the enormity of the devastation, as this severe storm struck Thandi during a pivotal period of his farming calendar. He was finishing his winter crop, preparing to transition to the summer crop.
“We lost some protected cropping … all metal twisted up, all my blueberry netting, half the farm is on the ground,” – Stephen Thandi
Ron Dow, 79, a neighbor of Thandi’s, saw the flash flooding first take shape. In detail, he recounted how quickly the winds turned violent. In one fell swoop, they transformed a mundane Tuesday into an episode of the Walking Dead.
“We are finishing off our winter crop, and we are mid-season, and it’s stripped a lot of the leaves and green fruit off our summer crop,” – Stephen Thandi
Eyewitness Accounts
According to Dow, the storm’s destruction extended beyond Thandi’s farm. It destroyed his own crops and trees in the adjacent area as well.
“All of a sudden, from out of nowhere, the wind was just phenomenal, the strength of the wind, and the rain came, and it was that thick you could not see through it, it was like a fog,” – Ron Dow
While Thandi is still working to determine the full extent of damage, he looks forward to a revival, even in the face of so great a loss. He won’t be surprised if subsequent assessments show worse damage than originally estimated, he said.
“It made a hell of a mess. It put trees down over the road … it destroyed my watermelon patch, my rockmelons, twisted my tomatoes up,” – Ron Dow
Ongoing Recovery Efforts
As Thandi continues to assess the extent of the damage, he remains hopeful for recovery despite the overwhelming loss. He anticipates that further evaluations might reveal more severe damage than initially estimated.
“I think the damage bill already, after just having a quick look, is already at least $300,000 … and it will probably turn out more … the infrastructure and fruit loss,” – Stephen Thandi
