Storm warnings on West Coast

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33454, 8 February 1974, Page 1

Storm warnings on West Coast

Storm warnings are out at most west coast ports as Cyclone Pam sweeps across the Tasman Sea towards New Zealand. The centre of the cyclone is expected to reach Fiordland about noon today.

Fishing fleets working the Tasman coast have scuttled for shelter and by last evening 50 small vessels, many of them visiting tuna boats, were tied up at Greymouth. Crayfishing boats around Milford Sound have also made for safe moorings deep in the sounds as seas in the vicinity are building up rapidly.

Torrential rain is expected over much of the West Coast of the South Island and some flooding is likely. Up to 200 mm. (Bin) is predicted to fall over the coastal belt south of Hokitika and about 100 mm. elsewhere. Two major fears about flooding are the new Cobden Bridge which is still under construction, and the town protection wall in Greymouth which was cut on Tuesday morning. At the work site of the Cobden Bridge, a wide shingle bank has been thrown more than half-way across the Grey River to facilitate the work. It is unlikely that it will escape damage if the expected rain does arrive, and Ministry of Works staff have already shifted almost all machinery and gear from the bank. The Greymouth town wall lost 15ft of its length in the fresh on Tuesday, and work on this is continuing. The Railways Department is concerned about the possibility of further floods, however, because much more of the wall has already been undermined. The relieving inspector of Permanent Way at Greymouth (Mr J. Hadwin) said yesterday that an inspection of the wall showed scouring of the foundations along a 65ft stretch, including a section underneath a signal box. Spring tides A critical factor is the unusually high spring tides now occurring along the western seaboard. At Greymouth, the Harbourmaster (Captain F. McGhie) said the tides were not expected to be much above normal, probably about 2ft to 3ft.

At New Plymouth, boat owners were warned yesterday to prepare for the highest tides on the Taranaki coast for at least 25 years. The New Plymouth Harbourmaster (Captain J. Flett) said the biggest tide—a rise of about 12ft 6in—was expected today. Yesterday’s tides were about 12ft, two inches higher than predicted. Captain Flett said he did not want to be an alarmist, “but some boats could be in danger.” Extra moorings

would be attached to all ships in port, he said. A spokesman for the Weather Office in Wellington said the cyclone had been plotted by satellite at noon yesterday and was swinging towards the south-east. There were several reports of huge seas in the Tasman as Cyclone Pam left the Australian coast. The hurricane force winds of the cyclone were expected to have abated to “an ordinary sort of gale” by the time they reached New Zealand, the spokesman said.