WEST COAST FLOODS

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26123, 27 May 1950, Page 6

WEST COAST FLOODS

Worst Storm For Years

GREY RIVER NEAR WHARF LEVEL

Early this morning the Grey river was four feet below the top of the wharves at Greymouth. With high tide at .30 a.m. to-day there is a danger that streets and buildings in the lowsr part of the town will be flooded. (This information was obtained for “The Press” by Radio Emergency Corps operators in Christehurch.)

The worst storm in years has buffeted the West Coast for 16 hours. Otira has had more than 16 inches of rain in 24 hours. The fall between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. yesterday was 10.15 inches.

In most towns only minor property damage has been reported so far, but serious gales and flooding have occurred in the country. In Greymouth electric power was interrupted completely about 6 o’clock last evening, but was restored after half an hour’s blackout. There was some street flooding at high tide.

Residents on the banks of West Coast rivers are anxious about the amount of water likely to come down during the night; but at high tide there was no immediate danger. There was a run of nine to 10 knots in the Grey river, with excentionally rough seas on the bar.

Apart from road and rail blockages on the main routes to Canterbury, the north road is under water between Greymouth and Reefton, and between Greymouth and Westport. There are washouts at Matai (between Greymouth and Ngahere) and at Rotokohu, 15 miles north of Reefton. There is four feet of water over the highway at Kumara. In places telegraph lines have been blown down and in others the poles have been washed out. Greymouth had four inches of rain in 60 hours up to 9 o’clock yesterday morning, and another two inches during the day.

Several cars and buses were marooned on the Greymouth-Reef ton highway by surface flooding at Mawheraiti, some 12 miles from Reefton, and at Ngahere, some 17 miles from Greymouth. Heavy rhin south of Ross made the South Westland highway impassable, and buses on the way to the glaciers were forced to return to Hokitika. One truck driver whose vehicle became stranded in water lying on the road said that the water rose two feet on the roadway in a quarter of an hour. There was a fall of over two inches of rain at Reefton up to 9 o'clock yesterday morning, with much heavier falls since. The Inangahua river is heavily swollen, with minor flooding in the townsihp.

Flooding in Hokitika At the height of the storm at Hokitika two buildings, one an old house that had recently been vacated, and a new partially-completed building, the St. Mary's Football Club gymnasium, were demolished by the gale. The Arahura Valley road was under water, isolating the settlers, and the roads to Koiterangi and Kokatahi were also impassable, with huge stretches of water several feet in depth over the highways. . . There was extensive flooding in Hokitika streets last night, which forced many shopkeepers to close down. The water is more than two feet deep in seme streets, particularly Weld. Sewell. Tancred, and Hamilton streets. Shopkeepers have removed stocks to higher levels. Several homes have been invaded by flood waters in Hokitika and the Arahura river is reported to have broken its banks. From Haast. in far South Westland, serious high flooding has been reported The aerodrome there is flooded and drums of petrol stored there have been washed seawards. It is also reported that the homestead of Mr Man Cron, in dose proximitv to the widespreading Haast river, has been aband°Three fishing trawlers, two from Greymouth, and one from Westport, which were fishing in far south waters, were unable to ret "i n to Greymouth when the storm developed, and although there is confirmation by radioeram from Awarua that the Georgina, from Greymouth. is sheltering in Milford Sound, there is no definite information about the other two vessels It is thought, however, that the Diane (Westnort) might also bp at Milford Sound, and Norma, which was m Jackson's Bay when the Georgina was in Big Fav early yesterday, may be still sheltering.