Fire risk rises
Fire signs around the region have shifted from green, which means low risk, to blue, which denotes a moderate fire risk. This change reflects the lead up to summer, when the area starts to dry out and there is an increased risk of fire. A Fire and Emergency representative urged those planning to have outdoor fires to keep this into account.
Road works
Carterton District Council advises there are road works on Arawhata Hill Rd until Thursday, October 26 to fix slumps, as well as on Mangaterere Valley R and Haringa Rd until Friday, October 27 for the purpose of stabilisation.
Bridge inspections
Tararua Alliance [a collaborative working agreement between Tararua District Council [TDC] and Downer NZ Ltd to help manage TDC transportation activity and water, wastewater, and stormwater reticulation infrastructure] will be inspecting 44 of the approximately 500 bridges in the district during December. The inspection is a part of TDC’s “six-yearly principal inspection programme” and each bridge takes two to three hours to inspect, so delays to traffic should be minor, a TDC spokesperson said. To ensure there is safe access to get under the bridge, trucks and special equipment are required, which will result in temporary road closures for a small number of bridges. As such, stop and go traffic management will temporarily be in place in some areas of Matamau, Waitahora, Waione, Eketāhuna, Alfredton, and Tiraumea. TDC will notify and provide more detail to residents in the affected areas, along with school buses and emergency services.
Somewhat shaky
Two earthquakes yesterday were reportedly felt in parts of Wairarapa. One quake just after 11am north-east of Picton was felt by residents just south of Martinborough. The second quake north-east of Waipukurau was felt by residents north-east of Martinborough. Both earthquakes were light, coming in at 4.0 and 3.6 in magnitude, respectively.
Speedy streets
Reports of street racing on Dixon St prompted a concerned resident to call police early Saturday evening around 6pm. A local police unit attended the call-out but found no evidence of racing and could not locate the cars in question.
