Canterbury mops up after storm

Press, 4 January 1980, Page 1

Canterbury mops up after storm

Christchurch people heaved sighs of relief last evening as the heavy winds and rains that had lashed the Canterbury region over the previous 24 hours abat ed.

At its peak, the storm uprooted trees and telephone poles. Jet boats patrolled flooded Christchurch streets and campers huddled in recreation halls. Mr H. P. Hunt, deputy chief engineer of the Christchurch Drainage Board, said that some of the worst flooding occurred along the Heathcote River, which burst its banks between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. yesterday morning. Here, the difficulties were intensified when power cuts affected the pumping stations. At Hoon Hay, the flooding was too severe for the outlet to the Heathcote. Instead of draining away, the water stayed put. The Drainage Board had staff out all night and observation teams remained in the trouble areas. The flooding was not confined to these areas, however. A resident of Ohoka Road in Kaiapoi has - reported an outflow of sewage about his house and serious flooding has occurred in parts of New Brighton and St Albans. McFaddens Road and the upper reaches of Dudley Creek have also been affected. The Church of the Latter Day Saints in Fendalton has had a lot of water to cope with, and The Princess Margaret Hospital required the services of the Fire Service to pump out surface water.

In South Canterbury many bridges were washed out. To the north, State Highway 70 to Kaikoura was closed because of extensive flooding. Hundreds of people lost electricity supplies, and fruit farmers lost their crops. In Christchurch, 150 mm of rain fell in the 24 hours to 9 a.m. yesterday; This was the highest , rainfall since records were first taken, in 1940. The previous high was slightly more than 124 mm, in

April, 1974. By 6 p.m. yesterday Christchurch Airport had recorded 121 mm. Rain, was light last evening, with intermittent heavy showers blowing in from the south. The police maintained a Land-Rover patrol at high tide, between 6 p.m. and 7 . p.m., but no call was made on its services. No civil defence emergency was declared, but stations were set up in the Cashmere High School and the Opawa Primary School to deal with persons removed from homes. However, most people preferred to stay in their homes. Those who did move stayed with friends. Jet boats were on hand to help with evacuations and move property to higher ground. The police controlled procedures from a special operations room and a mobile unit patrolled the worst-affected areas, from Heathcote to Cashmere. They were assisted by the Land-Rover Club. The Army provided six trucks. Extra policemen were called in, but by 10.30 a.m. yesterday the control room was closed down. The Fire Service has been particularly busy over the last two days. The heavy rain affected private fire alarm systems and by 3 p.m. yesterday 28 false alarms had been answered. The St John Ambulance Association was called to only two accidents . yesterday, both minor. The, Meteorological Office was confident that the flooding was over. The odd heavy shower was expected, but there would “definitely not” be a repeat of the heaviest rainfall on record. A “not terribly tuneful” Mr John Williams, of 211 Waimea Terrace, is so incensed about the state of his flooded house that he says he is considering not paying the rates.

The quarterly bill for his rates arrived on Wednesday, and yesterday morning his house was awash. His two-year-old wall-to-wall carpet squelched underfoot and the wallpaper was parting company with the walls. Mr Williams, who was not warned about flooding when he moved in, has lost all interest 'in his freshly decorated home and "garden and “just w’ants to get out.” However, . feels that he is trapped because his conscience binds him to tell prospective buyers about the floods. Water started seeping into Mr Williams’s house about 1 a.m., and it filled up to 30cm so fast that he did not have time to move the. furniture or lift the carpets. The police called on Mr Williams at 2 a.m. to see if he wanted to be moved but he decided to stay on, although he sent his Siamese cat and her month-old kittens to a dryer, warmer home. Mr Williams’s double garage burned down two weeks ago, destroying two cars and expensive camping equipment and tools. Gabbages singed during the fire floated in his back garden yesterday. It is all too much for Mr Williams, and he has criticised the council for not having prevented flo'oding in Waime.a Terrace, which he calls a “disaster area.” Mr G. Cowper, next door, at 209 Waimea Terrace, knew about the flood danger and pulled up his new carpet and tied his car and trailer to a tree. The Lawry family at 213 Waimea Terrace were also ready for the water. They have been flooded three times before. They warned some of their neighbours about the rising water and called the police. Cold, southerly winds

have persisted in South Canterbury and more galeforce winds were predicted. River levels have dropped after medium flooding at the height of the storm. The Army and local four-wheel drive clubs were called in to assist clearing up after campers. The Automobile Association has reported that all roads are now open, but extreme care is still necessary. Three bridges in Strathallan Countv were washed out: the McKeown and Tait road bridges at Woodbury, and the Ackroyd Road bridge at Waitohi. Apart from these, all roads were open and in reasonable condition. One of the worst-hit areas was Agnews Road, in the Totara Valley, where a lot of work will be required to improve the' surface and replace shingle. The South Canterbury Electric Power Board has had less problems than might have been expected. The chief assistant engineer (Mr D. W. Dowling) said that the only big problem was at Milford, where a pole was broken. About 50 consumers were without power until the morning. The Peel Forest area lost its power for four hours in the night. People in Fairview also lost power when a pole was broken. The telephone network broke down at Temuka and some lost outside contact at Pleasant Point and Tirnaru, but all services were restored by yesterday morning. In Timaru, rainfall was recorded at 79mm for the 24 hours to 9 a.m. yesterday. The maximum wind gust was a 50-knot southwesterly at 7.50 p.m. on Wednesday. In some city reserves, trees were blown down and it is believed that it will take the local Department of Parks and Reserves at least two days to tidy up.