‘Fantastic response’

Press, 5 July 1977, Page 1

‘Fantastic response’

Among those forced to leave their homes were 55 adults, nine children, eight dogs and two cats who found temporary shelter at the Cashmere civil defence relief station. They were evacuated from low-lying areas of Woolston and Opawa. Evacuees began arriving at the station at Cashmere High School just before 10 p.m. on Sunday. All were quickly billeted in local homes after appeals for help were broadcast.

“The public has just been fantastic,” said the area controller (Mr K. D. Stills). “We were deluged with offers of accommodation at all hours of the morning and received at least 50 more offers than we needed.”

People were taken from their homes by jet boats, utility vehicles, and Army trucks as water lapped over their front steps. Among them were an elderly blind woman, helped by her daughter, and a' woman aged 75 who lived alone.

The youngest to be evacuated were the Grimwood children—Shannon, aged three months, and Ingrid, aged 18 months. Their parents, David and April Grimwood, moved to their new address at 12 Carrick Street on Saturday only to be moved out again in a hurry at 5 a.m. on Monday. "We have lost a lot of our belongings,” said Mrs Grimwood at a friend’s home yesterday.

The cleaning-up promises to be a big job. The associate City Engineer (Mr B. D. Forbes) said that it could be several days before the many slips in and around Christchurch had been cleared. The big slip on Clifton Terrace could take

several weeks to clear. Most slips had been partly cleared to allow at least one-way traffic. Clifton Terrace was now open one-way to cars. There were some slips on the Summit Road and Huntsbury Hill. River levels will have to drop further before the Drainage Board can determine how much new silt has been deposited, especially in the Heathcote River. Dirt flowing from the hills

and farm land can build up the river bed, block drainage outlets, and aggravate flooding problems later. The Drainage Board’s Chief Engineer (Mr P. J. Me William) said that riverclearing work would continue for several days after the water receded. The flood was much lighter in central areas, especially near Colombo Street, than in 1974. Mr McWiliiam said that relief works in that area since then had obviously helped. There had been no greater problems than usual with “floating sewage” caused by sewer lines becoming gorged because of water entering the system.