The Hawke's Bay Rural Support Trust says looking after the mental health of coastal farmers hit by the worst storm they can remember is a major priority.
Trust co-ordinator Mike Barham is part of a team that on Monday agreed on a plan of action to help more than 100 coastal farmers in Central and Northern Hawke's Bay.
The team includes representatives of councils, Federated Farmers and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Mr Barham says it's hard for farmers to know what to do first, and mentally they're very fragile. Cracks are already starting to show, he says - he has had phone calls from farmers' wives worried about their husbands.
Mr Barham has employed two co-ordinators - a former farm manager and a farm consultant - to help him visit every affected farmer in the next fortnight.
