Heathcote Floods Houses Up To Four Times

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31653, 13 April 1968, Page 34

Heathcote Floods Houses Up To Four Times

House-owners along and near the Heathcote River suffered two, and in one case, four, inundations of their homes and properties during the storm as the effects of torrential rain and high tides took their different or combined effects on the level of the river and its tributaries.

Twelve residents of Riverlaw Terrace, Clarendon Terrace and Radley Street had to leave their houses early yesterday morning as the Heathcote overflowed its banks.

Water entered houses in Riverlaw Terrace, St Martins Road, Clarendon Terrace, Richardson Terrace, Radley Street and Port Hills Road. Water also lapped into properties along Waimea Terrace, Eastern Terrace, Ford Road, Fifield Terrace, Lascelles Road, Hillsborough Road, Centaurus Road, Aynsley Terrace, Port Hills Road, and roads leading off them. Port Hills Road was one of the first to suffer when, about

8.30 p.m. on Thursday, the road began to silt up and water to flow across it. Material was brought off the hillsides by heavy rain and blocked the stormwater channels. By 9 p.m. the section of road east of the tunnel motorway was reported to be dangerous because of scouring. The rain of the two previous days also affected the stormwater system down St Martins Valley into the Heathcote. It overflowed four times in 24 hours. Water flowed down Hillsborough Road and, later, Lascelles Road over Centaurus Road and eventually into the Heathcote. Luckily, the water entered the river opposite a vacant area of land and the houses next to the outlet are well above it However, houses along Hillsborough Road and Lascelles Road, and Centaurus Road had large quantities through their sections. There were no reports of water entering the houses. On Thursday night the culverts under Hillsborough Road and Centaurus Road became blocked, causing further flooding. WORST FLOODING The worst flooding along the Heathcote was at the wooden footbridge joining Riverlaw Terrace and Fifleld Terrace opposite St Martins Road. During the night the footbridge caught limbs and trunks being brought down the Heathcote, blocking the flow. By 2 a.m. yesterday the barrier was forcing water on to Riverlaw Terrace and on to three properties at the St Martins Road corner. Residents of two bouses on the downstream side of the barrier had to leave as two feet of water poured in. Water on Riverlaw Terrace was 6ft deep. It was still 2ft

deep as darkness fell at 7 p.m. 17 hours later. Teams of men worked all day to clear the barrier, cars towing away sawn-off limbs up St Martins Road out of the water. LITTLE WARNING Residents of 'Richardson Terrace had little warning of the flooding. One elderly woman said that she got out of bed at 5.30 a.m. to make her early morning cup of tea and found she was standing in a foot of water. An extremely high tide overflowed the river about 2 a.m. and reached a peak about 4.30 a.m. when it was 6ft to 7ft above normal. There was widespread flooding as far as Aynsley Terrace and Ford Road, but flooding above this point was as much atributable to floodwater coming down the Heathcote as to the effects of the tide meeting the flood. However, the effects of the tide were noticed as far upstream as Wilson Road bridge. Water entered five houses along Richardson Terrace and the grounds of about 40 others. Most of the houses were between Silvester Street and Wildberry Street. Almost every house along Clarendon Terrace between the Sheldon Street footbridge and Opawa Road suffered, and families had to leave. Three houses along Clarendon Terrace near the Radley Street bridge were flooded; others had water swirling about them. Several homes in Radley Street were also flooded. RENEWED WORRIES For Richardson Terrace and Clarendon Terrace residents worries began again late yesterday afternoon. Although the Heathcote had drained well during the day another high tide spilled over its banks at 4 p.m. and by 5.30 p.m. some sections were under water again. However, no real damage

was done by the second tide. The police set up a rescue co-ordination centre at the Waltham Pool at 6 a.m. and manned it until 2.30 p.m. Numbers of residents were taken there and looked after.