SUDDEN FLOOD AT NGAKAWAU

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23110, 28 August 1940, Page 10

SUDDEN FLOOD AT NGAKAWAU

RIVER BREAKS BANKS DROUGHT IN BULLER AREA RELIEVED [From Our Own Reporter.] WESTPORT. August 27. When a sudden rush of water came down the Ngakawau river from a hillside this afternoon, probably as a result of a cloud-burst, storekeepers and residents of the township had little time to remove their belongings to safety before the river broke through its low banks and swept over a wide area of land. In some places the water was three to four feet deep and, in Mr R. Thompson's merchandise store there was nearly two feet of water and some produce was damaged. Water also entered Mr I. Tyler’s shop and the residences of Messrs E. Crockett and O. Levy. The Marine Hotel was not affected with the exception of the water-filled cellars. The damage would have been very serious only for the water finding an outlet through a cut being made_ in the bank near the river mouth by Fulton and Hogan's staff. The outlet became very wide when the tide backed up and let the flood water through to the sea. At the peak of the flood it was feared that houses and business premises on the Ngakawau side of the new concrete bridge would be completely inundated, but once the cut was widened by the pressure of the flood the water subsided very quickly and conditions were soon back to normal. The staff of Fulton and Hogan had to work waist deep in the river to safeguard a shingle-crushing plant on its bank and to remove drums of bitumen to safety. A tractor was just shifted out of the path of the flood with minutes to spare. On a previous occasion when this river was flooded the firm lost considerable plant from the same locality. One resident said the the river turned Into a raging torrent in less than seven minutes. Heavy rain fell in most parts of the Buffer district to-day with the exception of Karamea, where only isolated showers fell after midday. A slip on the Buffer Gorge road held up traffic for some time to-night. Until 9 a.m. to-day the rainfall for the month had only been 1.79 inches for 11 days, compared with 9.86 inches for 22 days in August, 1939. The rainfall in July was 3.15 inches. Water tanks in country towns will be refilled by today’s rain, and there may have been sufficient rain to-day to resume goldsluicing which has been held up by the dry weather. The black-out of Westport caused by the electric power restrictions of the last six weeks was temporarily interrupted to-night when the street lights were again turned on and power was made available all' day. The heavy rain caused a big run in the subsidiary creek to the hydro-electric station at Fairdown. which worked from the town supply. The rain came at an opportune time, as the Diesel Caterpillar tractor, which has been carrying most of the load, broke down this morning. but was repaired this afternoon. The depth of the main feeder to the hydro-station at Lake Rqchfortwill be increased from 7 feet 6 inches last week to more than 11 feet as a result of the rain, but unless another sustained downpour occurs the restrictions will still be necessary. A flow from the subsidiary lake only occurs in flood-time. MINOR FLOODING AT GREYMOUTH HEAVY FALL OF RAIN [From Our Own Reporter.’ GREYMOUTH, August 27. Heavy downpours of rain last night and early this'morning, totalling about two inches, caused some backing up of drains at Greymouth, and water was lying on the footpaths in various parts of the borough. With an abatement about 10.30 a.m., the excess water quickly made a getaway. There was only a slight effect on the Grey river, but combined with the heaw seas on the bar, which will stir up the silt deposits there, the mild fresh in the river will possibly have a beneficial effect in scouring out the bar entrance to a better depth than the 18ft 6m at high water, which was the approximate figure at high tide this afternoon. Rough seas on the bar to-day 'Prevented, any shipping movements, but no further eerious hold-ups are anticipated now that the weather has cleared again somewhat. It is not likely that a flood will occur in the n No'damage was reported in the Grey County from the sudden downpour, but lower-lying areas were flooded at Runanga this morning, and water entered a number of houses adjacent to Raleigh creek. Because of the rapid rise of the water, the small creeks were unable to cope with the flow, and it is considered that the sudden flooding reached record height in the particular locality. The lower portions of Ward, McGowan and Pitt streets, Runanga, were also under water, but shortly after noon there was not much trace of the downpour.