CANTERBURY’S THREE BREAK THEIR BANKS

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28471, 28 December 1957, Page 8

CANTERBURY’S THREE BREAK THEIR BANKS

Waimakariri’s Menace To Belfast Averted

Canterbury’s three major rivers yesterday burst their banks in the biggest floods of recent years. The silt-laden Rakaia and the Rangitata rose up to Bft above normal levels on mile-wide fronts.

The Waimakariri river went up 50ft in its gorge in seven hours, but a serious flood threat to Belfast and north Christchurch was averted when it spilled out in its lower reaches, and in the main was contained by protective works and a railway embankment.

The floods, which were abating late yesterday afternoon and last evening, came after a violent electrical storm over highcountry catchment areas on Thursday night. Thirteen inches of rain fell at Arthur’s Pass in 24 hours.

The same storm wrought havoc in Westland.

The Otira river, diverted by a landslide, flowed through the Otira township. More than 20 homes had to be abandoned. One house was smashed to pieces when the torrent ripped a huge protective groyne apart.

No casualties have been reported from among the residents. The township is isolated and without electric power.

Greymouth was -also isolated by floods, and throughout yesterday residents watched anxiously the rising Grey river after they had been told it might overflow its banks. The peak passed without the banks being topped.

A furious spate more than a mile wide in the Rakaia river broke the north bank and tore away 75 yards of the railway line.

The Main South road was covered for five chains to a depth Of 2ft 6in. Two contractors were on the scene early with tractors, and in two hours and a half, before the flood abated, had made £2O by towing cars through. Fast work by railway gangers had a temporary line in position at 4 p.m. for a train to pass over the damaged section of track. Hundreds of sheep were drowned when the Rangitata river burst its banks—eight feet above normal on another mile-wide front —and inundated a large area of land. In some places land was 6ft under water. The main road and the railway line were covered up to nine inches deep. In spite of flood warnings much stock was marooned. A two-mile stretch oi the north railway line embankment may have saved thousands of acres of farmland and housing districts in the north Christchurch area from serious flooding after the Wai-

makariri river had breached protective works west of the main traffic bridge yesterday morning. The peak level of the flood, which had already overrun hundreds of acres to the west of the railway, was reached at 3.30 p.m. By this time houses on the seaward side of the railway were being evacuated. The line, almost 10ft higher than the land below the embankment, was being lapped by the chocolatecoloured floodwaters as stock was removed and five families in apparent immediate danger moved out. Only minor flooding occurred on the east side with seepage Six Belfast dairy farms were inundated. All stock in the herds was saved and the cattle are being accommodated on neighbouring properties. Farmers have arranged for milking of the herds for, town supply. Houses Isolated Stewart’s Gully was flooded, and some 20 houses were surrounded by the river when it came over the south' bank there. The water was up to window sills. When about a third of the river ponded through the Englebrecht breach, swamping Coutts Island and over-running White’s bridge, the pressure on Stewart’s Gully was relieved, and much of the floodwaters subsided. The assistant engineer of the North Canterbury Catchment Board (Mr E. B. Dalmer) said last evening that the Waimakariri river had fallen more than 7ft at the Gorge bridge during the day and about 3ft at the highway bridge. Residents at Coutts Island reported that floodwaters were receding late last night. At Chaneys Corner, where floodwaters had backed up against the railway line, the level was dropping, and had fallen about a foot at 10 p.m.

The Ashburton river, although very high and discoloured, did not threaten to overflow its banks yesterday. The Ashley river was in a similar condition.