Thaw Sets In Over Southland; Heavy Stock Losses Expected

Press, Volume C, Issue 29555, 3 July 1961, Page 12

Thaw Sets In Over Southland; Heavy Stock Losses Expected

(JN.Z. Press Association) INVERCARGILL, July 2. A general thaw set in over snow-bound Southland on the week-end, as the heavy snow and hail storms of last week gave way to rain and, finally, brief periods of bright sunshine. Snow stopped falling in most districts on Saturday, but it may be some time before an assessment can be made of the damage caused in outlying areas, where thousands of sheep are buried under snowdrifts. Stock losses are expected to be heavy.

The deathroll of stock is expected to rise steeply if heavy frosts occur, and the snow freezes over, but on the other hand, frost could prevent a too-rapid thaw, which could result in floods. Post Office linesmen and technicians had an extremely busy week-end, as did power board staffs, who worked Saturday repairing lines, and restoring power and telephone communications cut by the snow. Their biggest difficulty in many places, notably in the northern Southland and West Otago areas, was to reach breaks in the lines, as often roads were impassable. However, by mid-day today, nearly all major roads were

clear, and most others were passable if extreme care was used. Nearly all sporting fixtures in Southland, and many social functions, were cancelled because of rain, the conditions of grounds, and the dangerous state of the roads. West Otago’s two-day isolation ended during the weekend when heavy machinery cleared tracks through the blanketing snow. But the area still faces the threat of floods. The thaw, which set in on Saturday afternoon, lasted during the night and today.

making big inroads in the snow piled up over the last five days. The Pomahaka river, which drains the area, was running high tonight, although it was still contained in its banks. One road was impassable because of flooding from a tributary stream. Residents are anxious to see the snow go before frosts set in and consolidate it. but frost is probably the only thing which can avert floods at this stage. Except for one or two areas, electricity supplies were restored by today.