HEAVY STORM AND FLOODS

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23412, 20 August 1941, Page 6

HEAVY STORM AND FLOODS

-STREETS DEEP IN WATER HEATHCOTE BREAKS ITS BANKS RESULTS OF MONDAY NIGHT’S STORM Householders were marooned, large areas of low-lying land flooded, and gardens waterlogged when, the Heatncote broke its banks on Monday night during the fierce south-westerly gale which lasted until the eany hours of yesterday morning. After hours of heavy rain, accompanied by flumes of snow, other parts of the city and suburbs were also flooded yesterday morning, and in places streets were feet deep in water, _ and lawns bad, been turned into miniature lakes. The worst of the flooding occurred in the Radley, Woolston, Opawa, ana Beckenham districts, and in some areas water entered houses on the lower levels or submerged the gardens, while the streets were impassable to traffic. When the rain stopped yesterday morning, however, the flood began to recede, and by the late Afternoon the situation was not so serious, • although the Heathcote river was still swollen, and the water was lying deep bn the footpaths and lawns. In the areas well away from the river, the flood waters had practically disappeared in the afternoon. - , ■ Two streets that experienced the worst of the flooding were Clarendon terrace and Richardson terrace. In/one home in Clarendon terrace the water rose so rapidly that there were six inches covering the floors. The residents were able to move most of their furniture, but the water covered one of the carpets. Many other houses had flood water almost up to the floor level, and at some points it covered the streets to a depth of two feet. Householders were practically marooned, and in the afternoon boats were used in a street near the Radley bridge to bring people out. In part of Richardson terrace only the top of the letter box and the tops of the fence posts were showing outside a house. In Woolston the shopping centre in Ferry road was under water, and several streets off the main road were partly flooded. No damage was done by the flood waters which penetrated a few shops, and lapped -at the doorsteps of others, but customers had to wade through more than a foot of water. There was also flooding in the Waltham district, and several streets were covered to a depth of two feet. In Carlyle street the employees of a shoe factory had the experience of being ferried to work in taxis and trucks as there was water in front of the building. Employees in an engineering business next door had to cease work owing to flood water in the building. In Waltham road there was considerable flooding, and motorists who tried to pass through the flood waters finished up by being towed out., The Beckenham shopping area in Colombo street was under water, for a time, and althoygh a few shops were invaded, conditions soon returned to normal. The worst of the flooding occurred in Ashgrove terrace, where the Heathcote river broke its banks. The road was well covered, but the houses were on higher ground and escaped flooding. Flood waters turned Barrington Park into a shallow lake, and there was at least two feet of water in Barrington street, which caused a number of motorists to get into difficulties. The Avon, like the Heathcote, was swollen by the sudden rush of surface water, and was running bank to bank for the greater part of the day.

VIEWS FROM THE TRAIN LYTTELTON LINE FLOODED FARM LANDS Vast areas of flooded farm lands were to be seen by passengers on the Lyttelton trains yesterday. Travelling from Lyttelton the first flooding was seen as the train left Heathcote, the paddocks on either side of the line, stretching to the hills on the south side, and to the Heathcote river on the north side, being several feet deep in muddy water. The Lyttelton Borough Council’s pumping station, adjoining the line about a mile from Heathcote, stood out likp an island in a muddy sea. Fortunately tt)e water did not reach the station nor the two reservoirs nearby. Roads crossing the line between Heathcote and Woolston were flooded on either side; and from the Woolston station the river could be seen overflowing the road alongside the tanneries. As the train crossed the Opawa bridge it was seen that the river had overflowed Richardson terrace , and Clarendon terrace to a depth of several feet, making one huge river which extended into the sections, almost up to the houses. Two horses in a flooded paddock beside the line were attempting to climb a gorse hedge and were nibbling at the young shoots of the gorse. The final scene of the flooding as the train neared Christchurch was at the Waltham road crossing, Waltham road, the east end of Carlyle street, and the railway end of Barbadoes street being flooded. Several cars and trucks were stranded in Waltham road and in Carlyle street motor-trucks, with the radiators protected by sacks, were to be seen moving carefully through the water. —i — LYTTELTON TUNNEL SUPS THREATEN TO BLOCK ENTRANCE

Probably for the first time since it was constructed, the working of the Lyttelton railway tunnel was threatened yesterday by slips at the Heathcote portal. Early yesterday morning an inspection revealed that serious slips had occurred from the high cutting on the north side of the portal and had partly covered the line. The slips were cleared sufficiently to permit of the early trains running, but as further slips were coming down, a gang of workmen was kept employed a)l day in keeping the line clear. Further Slips at Lyttelton The heavy rainfall of Monday night and yesterday morning brought down several more slips at Lyttelton. One slip blocked Ticehurst road, and another, at Corsair Bay, blocked the main road from Lyttelton to Governor’s Bay, making it impossible for cars to get through. Several small slips on the State highway, on the Lyttelton side of Evans Pass, made travel hazardous for motorists.

Yesterday all the creeks and stormwater drains running through Lyttelton were overflowing and side channels in the steep hill streets had become tearing torrents of muddy water.

NINETEEN DAYS’

RAIN

WELLINGTON’S RECORD

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, August 19. An isolated’shower Just after midnight gave a point of rain in the gauge at the Mtfwrplwival station at Kelbum, end thi? point may play a conspicuous part in local mewwologlcal records. as it provides the redulfite rain during the 2i hours to 9 oxlgck this morning for the official continuation of the rainy spell This has now lasted 19 days, equalling the record established in June. 1887, when there were also 19 consecutive days with rain. There was a similar experience la 187 L .

SEASIDE HOMES FLOWED DAMAGE AT SDMNER AND REDCUPFS Before they have had time to forget the damage done when spring tides came up and flooded their homes, residents of Sumner and Redclins have again suffered from the muddy waters which poured down on them from the hills after the heavy rains of early yesterday morning. The Sumner Borough Council wiU face further heavy expenditure to make good the damage done to roads. At Sumner, when the storm was at its height, at midnight on Monday, the drainage system was not able to cope with the heavy fall and the watershed from the hills, and all the streets were-heavily flooded. In the valley area at the back of Sumner, Arnold, Denman, Campbell, Truro and Clarke, streets were still under deep water yesterday afternoon and slips occurred on Heberden avenue. Several residents in Clarke street and. Heberden avenue had to leave their homes during the night, some houses having water three feet deep inside. The Marine Hotel had water several inches deep in the main building and the grounds of houses near the hotel, in Nayland street, were oadly flooded. Receding waters left a thick coating of yellow clay. A slip came down from the Scarborough road and some big stones, crashed through the roof of the “WaySide” tearooms, tearing away a big section of the iron over the kitchen. Stones and rubble pushed one section of the building out of alignment, tearing it several feet away from the mam building. Water was pouring into the buildings until the council staff diverted it and prevented further damage. , . Higher up, the Scarborough road suffered badlv and the road was scoured) in some places to a depth of 18 inches. Several minor slips also occurred on Scarborough and Heberden avenue was blocked in one place with the debris. In the Sumner business area the path, in the main street was thickly coated with clay outside the council offices and was a danger to pedestrians. In Nayland street, the Methodist Church was standing isolated in fairly deep water and Mitchell’s store was surrounded, necessitating the use of hastily-constructed gangways to gain admission to the shop, Hardwicke, Stoke, and Euston streets, crossing Nayland street, were all under water. ' Clifton Hill road was, covered with loose .stones and in places it was undermined.

In Monck’s Bay the clay lying on the main read formed a. dangerous surface for traffic and a breakdown truck, whilst on its way to Sumner just before noon yesterday, skidded and crashed into ,the council’s big lorry which was being filled with the debris from the roadway. The breakdown qar was badly damaged, but the driver was not injured.

The croquet club’s grounds were inundated, the pavilion standing in water and the tennis courts were covered in muddy water. In RedclMfs many houses were flooded, the Main road near the Yacht Club’s building, Pratt street, Bay View road, and Cliff street being most affected.

At 11.30 p.m. on Monday all the paths on Clifton Spur appeared as rivers, and the steps at the side of the Masonic Hall were carrying a big volume, making it impossible to get to the back of the building. Some of the paths in front of dwellings on the spur have given way in spite of protective works to prevent erosion. Motor trucks were used yesterday morning to convey residents of the side streets of Redcliffs to the tramway stopping places.