Act of God, but others blamed

Press, 6 July 1977, Page 1

Act of God, but others blamed

Christchurch and Banks Peninsula dried out yesterday after the three-day downpour—and flood victims were casting about for a scapegoat.

People who were flooded out of Richardson and Clarendon Terrace have two main gripes — one with the Christchurch Drainage Board, the other with land agents. Home owners flooded out along the Heathcote River were critical of the Drainage Board for not providing sufficient drainage, and land agents were lambasted for withholding information about the flooding problem. In Hoon Hay, residents had unkind words for the Christchurch City Council for not improving stormwate* drainage. Mr A. Hawke was shifting yesterday afternoon out of his house in Richardson Terrace. He had lived in it only one night, and was determined not to spend another there. The house was rented by Mr Hawke this week, from an owner who was out of Christchurch. The land agent who arranged the lease had told him nothing of flooding hazards, said Mr Hawke. "If I had known that this type of thing could occur, I would never have taken the place," he said. "My concern is not for myseft; I have somewhere else to go, and had intended to refurnish anyway," he said. "But these people (the owners of other badly flooded properties)

have nowhere else to go. Something has to be done to stop this kind of flooding.” Next door, Mrs R. Creighton was being helped to pull up sodden carpets. She has been in the house six years, and has been flooded out twice. The house was on the market, she said, but it would not sell. She estimated the latest damage about $2OOO. A water mark ran round all rooms about 18 inches off the floor — and in and out of the piano. Across the river, in Clarendon Terrace, Mr A. N. Nisbet was cleaning out the house in which he has lived for 30 years. He has been flooded out four times. This time the water mark was higher than it had ever been, he said. He could not estimate the damage: to him it was mostly counted in time spent cleaning up. He had been able to get most things off the floor, he said. Mr Hawke was not so lucky: "We opened the back door to take the dog for a walk at 9 p.m. on Sunday, and were met by lapping water at the top step,” he said. "It came up very quickly. We had no time to pick up anything much; the Hoover was floating in

the water before we knew it.” At the height of the flood, water was 2ft deep through the house. On Monday afternoon, it was still swirling 3ft deep around the back door. "We want answers now,” said Mr Nisbet, “but it looks like the Woolston Cut is a long time away. I can remember my father getting into the Drainage Board back in 1956, wanting something done. There was a lot of talk, but little to show for it.” One couple will return from their holiday in Britain to find that mud and water have reached 6in above their floor level. Mud is lying knee-deep on the front lawn of the stone house below Clifton Hill which was rammed by a slip on Sunday night. Mud and debris are piled to roof level against its eastern side, and has entered through broken windows. The owners, Mr and Mrs D. A. Presto, who had occupied it for six months, are staying with a daughter. Residents along Dudley Creek did not appear to be suffering many ill-effects yesterday. The debris lying at high water mark in most cases lay only part way up front or back lawns.