Gale halts work on worn on Clyde dam

Press, 29 April 1987, Page 8

Gale halts work on worn on Clyde dam

PA Invercargill Gale-force winds lifted roots and disrupted power supplies in Southland and Central Otago yesterday. . The roots of a house in Clyde and two buildings in ; Invercargill were lifted by gusts, a concrete fence blew over in Invercargill and work was halted for safety reasons on the; Clyde dam. But it was the Southland electric power supply and the Otago Central Electric Power Board which bore the brunt of the winds, with felled power poles and trees blown through lines. Power was cut for four hours at Freshford, near Riversdale, and there were long blackouts at Queenstown, Makarewa, : and Gore and sporadic cuts: in Alexandra. ■ In Southland, power was disrupted almost

‘ ‘ Do pcurt ment bad no repekfoof . Elsewhere, << linemen the gale to repair lines tom by. falling branches and trees, said the manager of the Southland Electric Power Supply, Mr. Jim Gear. Power poles were toppled by a combination of high winds and wet ground. Workers on the Clyde dam were sent under cover and some were allowed to go home when the maximum recorded wind speed of. 120km/h made work too dangerous. The maximum gust was recorded at the top of a crane. On the ground the wind was estimated at 60tan/h. '--v.