Widespread Damage In Winter’s First Storm

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29799, 16 April 1962, Page 12

Widespread Damage In Winter’s First Storm

(A.Z. Press WELLINGTON, April 15. A southerly storm with winds of more than 80 miles an hour swept New Zealand from Invercargill to Auckland today causing flooding in some areas, bringing snow down to low levels in Otago and Canterbury, disrupting communications and transport in the North Island and causing widespread damage. Wellington was deluged and blocked waterways flooded at least two factories and threatened others. Surface flooding was widespread and water gushed along suburban streets.

Barometric pressure in Wellington reached an almost record low level. The reading was 28.8 in and the record low level occurred in 1939 when the reading was 28.19 in. The temperatube at noon today was 492 deg. and at 6 p.m. 44deg. More than 30 persons were injured in road accidents in the Auckland area at the week-end. Police blamed greasy road conditions created by the storm for the high accident toll. The dangerous roads caught drivers unaware after the long dry spell, one police officer said.

Snow fell in many parts of Central, West and North Otago. There was a heavy fall on the Remarkables and other Queenstown peaks on Saturday, and at Cromwell and Wanaka snow fell for about two hours. About two inches fell in the Naseby district and an inch at Ranfurly One of the worst affected areas in Wellington was the Makara valley. Early this morning, farmers were up before dawn moving stock to higher ground as most of the flat land was covered by water. One house was in danger this afternoon as water eddied about the doorsteps. Earlier, the tiny settlement at Makara beach was cut off when 3ft of water covered part of the road. Bridges to several farms were washed away when the usually placid Makara stream rose about Bft and changed to a muddy torrent.

Traffic Halted Debris brought down by storm water halted traffic in two places on the Hutt road this afternoon between Ngauranga and Petone. A broadcast warning was given motorists travelling between Pukerua Bay and Plimmerton to be on the alert for rocks falling from the precipitous hillsides of the coastal road. About 2 p.m. today there was between 6in and 7in of water over the Tawa main rot. J, and one warehouse at Porirua had its floor under a foot of water. Because of a slip on the Paekakariki incline, this afternoon’s Wellington-Auck-land express was sent through the Wairarapa. The slip was cleared in time to permit the Limited express to proceed on the normal Manawatu route tonight. In the Gisborne area, the worst storm of the year left a trail of broken power and telephone lines, caused by broken and uprooted trees and unroofed buildings. The storm severed teleprinter circuits to the Gisborne airport and disrupted railways telephonic communications. School Unroofed

The worst damage in Gisborne was the partial unroofing of the U-shaped administration block at the Lytton High School, from which one-fifth of the aluminium roofing, sarking and lining was ripped in huge strips and whirled 200 feet in the air. exposing the interior of fee building. Defying the wind, high school board officials and the headmaster climbed the roof and nailed batons over the exposed section. They had to lie flat on the roof to avoid being blown off. This afternoon, staff members moved the whole of the stock of text books from beneath the wildly-flapning sarking to prevent rain damage and tarpulins were erected over the unroofed section.

In Gisborne, crashing willow trees in Grey street brought down both high and low tension lines and dozens of calls from owners of treesevered service lines and broken power poles kept the repair staff busy. Severed telephone lines prevented a close check of power shortages in the country. The Waioeka Gorge, on the Main North highway, was closed by further slips at the Opotiki end and by a big slip at Wairata Bluff at the Matawai end. The East Coast highway is also cut by floods over the road at Waiaua, eight miles from Opotiki. Trail Of Damage Winds up to 60 miles an hour did widespread minor damage mainly to power and telephone lines in and south of Hastings. Trees and branches falling across lines were the main cause of the damage, but numerous poles were also broken or blown out of alignment. Fences, windows, radio aerials and light buildings in exposed places were damaged. Gale-force winds wreaked havoc in the Napier district. Power services were disrupted as more than 100 poles crashed in the Hawke’s Bay Power Board s area under the weight of fallen trees, while flying branches and iron severed power and telephone lines in many areas. In the Bay View district, glasshouses took a battering and a house was unroofed Plate glass windows were blown in at the Napier airport and in the business area. Heavy wooden seats and traffic signs were hurled across roadways and footpaths. The Napier Fire Brigade was called to one home where a roof, threatening, to come adrift from the house, was again nailed down. Both the Napier-Taupo and NapierWairoa roads were reported closed by fallen trees.

Wairoa’s only communication with outside centres was maintained by radio for over four hours today by amateur operators and the Post Office radio station. All telephone communications north, south

and west of Wairoa were cut about 10 a.m. by trees which were brought down by gale force north-east winds.

The main highways to Napier and Gisborne were periodically blocked by fallen trees and over the whole length the highways were littered with debris blown from trees, scrub and bush.

The railway between Gisborne and Napier escaped serious damage, but its communications system was cut by fallen trees. It was with railways services that the amateur radio operators assisted most. The Post Office radio station went on the air at 3 p.m. and was operated ’by the Postmaster, Mr R. Holford. The station • passed on information to Napier as it was brought to hand. Threat to Opotiki

Floodwater from the swollen OtarS and VVaiweka rivers threatened portions of Opotiki late this afternoon Water flowed through part of the residential area to a depth of several inches, but was prevented from entering the main business area by a line of sandbags across Church street. The rivers began to subside about 8 p.m and there is now no danger to the main business area of the town. About 100 residents worked throughout the afternoon, sandbagging river stopbanks to prevent water entering the borough in any great volume Slips at Oponae and Wairata blocked the Waioeka gorge road and the highway is not expected to reopen before midday tomorrow. The east coast road to Te Kaha is deeply flooded and is also not expected to be open before morning.

The farmlands of the Waioeka flats and the Waiotahi valley faced serious loss from

pasture damage, though stock losses were reported to be light considering the severity of the flood. Farmers in the area said it was the most serious flood experienced for some years. In Palmerston North, big plate glass windows in a department store were blown out. A builder’s shed was blown 100 yards before it came to rest wrecked 20 yards from the Manawatu river The veranda of a shop in Featherston street was blown bodily over the roof of the living premises behind the shop, damaging the roof and smashing a porch as it crashed to the lawn. At least two tali television aerials were blown down in the city. A corrugated iron shed in Monrad street was blown across the main trunk line in Pioneer highway Part of the shed finished up wrapped round a railways communications pole, ’nd the remainder in a ditch. Many road signs were smashed Power lines created a traffic hazard Heavy damage was caused in gardens, many trees being uprooted or smashed by the gale. Manawatu Swept

The State highway just north of Foxton was closed by fallen trees and power lines, the Opiki toll bridge was temporarily closed, a young woman was injured when her light truck was blown off the road at Rongotea. and widespread damage was caused to property when the storm swept over the Manawatu. The storm struck suddenly About 1 p.m. the weather was mild and slightly cloudy with a light breeze. Five minutes later, a savage gale, with gusts up to 65 miles an hour and accompanied by torrential rain, was causing havoc throughout the district.