Floods hit Otago, West Coast

Press, 11 March 1983, Page 1

Floods hit Otago, West Coast

PA Dunedin Heavy rain in Otago yesterday cut road and rail links, closed several country schools and the Dunedin airport, and caused minor flooding in the Central Otago township of Middlemarch. Power board offices in Middlemarch were sandbagged to prevent water from entering the premises, and a shearing contractor used a front-end loader to dig a channel to divert water from the Post Office and hotel.

Dunedin Airport was closed because of low visibility at 2 p.m., disrupting one inward and one outward Air New Zealand flight. Southern Air and Mount Cook flights were also affected. The Taieri River had passed last October’s peak flood level and was continuing to rise late yesterday, said an Otago Catchment Board spokesman.

Farmers were told to move stock to higher ground. At 4 p.m. the river was

flowing about 6.5 metres above normal and spilling into flood protection ponds. The rail link between Invercargill and Dunedin was affected, and passengers on the Southerner were taken by bus round the flooded area. The Central Otago line was also cut between Outram and Middlemarch. State highway 8 in Central Otago, which had been cut in three places near Roxburgh yesterday morning, was reopened late yesterday afternoon. Four country schools— Middlemarch, Alexandra, Hyde, and Strath Taieri—were closed because of flooding, the Otago Education Board said. Dunedin suffered only minor flooding. Clearing weather enabled Ministry of Works staff to reopen the South Westland highway late yesterday afternoon.

At 8.30 a.m. yesterday a shingle fan, pushed by floodwaters blocked State high-

way 6 at Bullock Creek, south of Fox Galcier. The road was reopened at 4.30 p.m. after the rain stopped. The resident engineer of the Ministry of Works in Greymouth, Mr J. P. Kerr, said last evening that there was “every chance” of the slip’s ocurring again, if the weather got worse. A big delay was. caused by the same shingle fan over the highway more than a month ago. Then, as was the case yesterday, the slip spread over the bridge decking.

Mr Kerr said that another slip which occurred on Twelve Mile Hill on the Greymouth-Westport road had been cleared early yesterday.

Haast recorded 192 mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9 a.m. yesterday, and Franz Josef had 147.5 mm. Further north the rain was less, with Hokitika Airport recording 44.2 mm, Otira 52.2 mm, and Greymouth 16mm.