HEAVY DOWNPOUR

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 64, 16 March 1944, Page 2

HEAVY DOWNPOUR

CITY STREETS AWASH

STORM INTERRUPTS POWER

Yesterday afternoon, when thousands of Aucklanders were returning home from work, rain felJ in the city and suburbs in torrents. The water quickly filled the streets and roadways, flooding almost to the top of the kerb in a broad stretch which extended to within a few feet of the tram line. Passengers alighting from trams made a dash for the shelter of shop verandahs. Women had their shoes and stockings soaked as they splashed through the water. Passengers from ferries had to dash along the wharves to waiting buses as the rain fell heavily, and passengers on one boat to Bayswater had a particularly unpleasant waik along the uncovered Bayswater wharf. Little damage is reported as having been caused by rain water. Minor trouble was caused at a restaurant in Vulcan Lane through water pouring in through a grill at the street level. At Otahuhu it was reported that one or two shops had suffered from flooding. The rain was accompanied by electrical disturbances. Lightning ran along high-tension wires and punctured an 11,000-volt cable at Westfield, causing an interruption of three-quarters of an hour in the Mangere and Otahuhu areas. In the evening there was a further breakdown for an hour and a half as a result of two lines being cut through. A small slip occurred on the main railway line at Paerata at about 7.30 last night, without, however, disrupting the train service. The automatic railway signalling was affected by lightning, but no serious delays resulted. At Taupiri the lights failed at 6.40 p.m. and were out until about 8 o'clock. Intermittent showers fell during the night, but towards morning the weather cleared. The rainfall for the period of 24 hours up to 9 a.m. to-day was l.lOin, making the total for the month to date 2.64 in.