FLOOD IN TE AROHA.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 173, 24 July 1928, Page 7

FLOOD IN TE AROHA.

WATER RISING QUICKLY. MANY STREETS INUNDATED. HOMES SURROUNDED. CHILDREN CARRIED TO SAFETY. NINE INCHES OF RAIN IN 48 HOURS. (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) TE AROHA, this day. Tc Aroha is threatened with a flood greater than any other in its history. More than nine inches of rain has fallen in the last 48 hours. At nine o'clock this morning the flood waters, three feet deep, were rushing through the Northern Shipping Company's and the Farmers' Auctioneering Company's buildings, and they were a foot deep in the Wilson, Canham Company's shed, where hundreds of hides and skins and tons of salt are stored. The rapid rise of the waters took the staff of Messrs. Wilson and Canham by surprise, and although all worked diligently they soon found it almost impossible to remove the goods. At 10.15 a.m. the indications were that the river would rise another 18 inches. It was still raining hard. The Waihou River's water was backing up at the rear of the Grand Hotel. Mr. Rogers and his family had narrow escapes owing to the rapid and unexpected rise of the water. It flowed through their residence and was nearly 3 feet 6 inches deep. The children had to be carried to a place of safety, as the water surrounded their home and other houses for a distance of 50 yards. Several streets in the borough are inaccessible, and the road between Te Aroha and Paeroa at Tirohia is flooded. In many places the countryside is a sheet of water. Shipping between Paeroa and Te Aroha is suspended, for navigation is almost impossible. Concrete Road Impassable. About half a mile of concrete road leading to Te Aroha West is covered with ."> feet of water, making it impassable. The district lying between Matamata and Paeroa is subject to heavy rainfall, and consequently to floods. Fourteen years ago the district experienced the greatest influx of water on record, but the indications to-day are that that record will be exceeded. There was a flood a fortnight ago, but the w-ater did not reach summer level by fully six feet, and the deluge in the last two days, coming afterwards, gives rise to general apprehension.