Extreme winds in parts of the South Island last week have caused nearly $1 million in damage but rural insurers say the claims are much smaller than a similar storm two years ago.
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North-westerly gusts of up to 140kmh swept across South Canterbury last weekend but the country's largest rural insurer, FMG, said the 283 claims it had received, worth $970,000, could have been much worse.
Two years ago, spring winds cost the insurer $7.6 million for 260 damaged irrigators alone, and they received 727 claims overall.
This time around, farmers had good advance warning from MetService, and many heeded advice FMG gave to prevent irrigator damage.
After the 2013 spring winds, FMG carried out research with Lincoln University into irrigator damage prevention and found owners should point the irrigator into the prevailing wind and then tie it down.
FMG national claims and service manager Sean Beattie said clients had taken its advice. However, there were still further things people could do to prevent house and property damage during wind storms.
Mr Beattie said FMG was urging trampoline owners to secure them because of an increasing number of trampoline claims, where it had lifted and crashed into neighbouring properties.
