DOWNPOUR AT WESTPORT

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30064, 23 February 1963, Page 10

DOWNPOUR AT WESTPORT

Housing Block Inundated

(From Our Own Reporter) WESTPORT, Feb. 22.

Torrential rain for about two hours at Westport on Thursday night, and fairly persistent showers during the rest of the day caused extensive flooding in the Buller district, but no serious damage was reported. Up to 9.a.m. on Friday. 4.64 inches of. rain had . been recorded in 72 hours at Westport, 2.37 inches falling in the last 24 hours.

The heavy rain on Thursday night caused the most extensive street flooding for many years. •In the State housing block, where there has been little trouble in the last two years since the drainage system was improved, the water backed up over lawns and frontages for a considerable distance. Residents Wade to Homes Residents who left home early in the night, later had to wade through water for 100 yards from Rintoul to Fonblanque streets along Colvin street, while motor vehicles found it difficult to traverse this and other floodaffected sections in various parts of the town. The back-up of water affected the sewerage system in parts of the housing block. Slips and Wash-outs

Water covered many country roads, especially at Granity and Waimarie, and reached the fringes of some homes in the former area A sand cutting on the Okari road between Cape Foulwind and Charleston caved in during the night and a slip and wash-out on Limestone Hill, on the back road to Charleston, cut off access to six families for a period. During the week the rain brought down several slips on the Westport-Greymouth. Buller Gorge and Karamea roads, and motorists have had to take care in dodging fallen stones. Karamea had its heaviest fall on Thursday when two inches and a half of rain was recorded, but conditions improved considerably yesterday. There is little flooding reported in that district. .