HEAVY RAINS

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 120, 14 February 1941, Page 8

HEAVY RAINS

Hutt River Rises 13 Feet

SLIPS AT BELMONT

Western Valley Road

Blocked

Heavv rain in the ranges on Wednesday night and yesterday flooded the 1 lutt River, and brought down slips in the Hutt \ alley. Though it rained hard on Wednesday night in Wellington, and throughout yesterday and last night repealed rain squalls, accompanied by a cold south wind, swept city ainl suburbs, the rainfall here was not exceptional; but in the Oron'gorottgos and Rimutakas it approached the severity of a cloudburst.

The city engineer, Mr. K. E. Luke, reported yesterday that, the rainfall recorded at the intake of the city water supply at Orongoropgo was seven inches for the 24 hours to 9 a.m. yesterday. There was further heavy rain after that hour.

During the day the Hutt River rose 13 feet, bringing the river to within about two feet of danger level. The turbulent waters swept down great quantities cf forest debris from the upper reaches, massive trees, uprooted bodily, being swept along like straws. At the Hutt River, where the rise was recorded, men were kept busy throughout the day fending off trunks and branches from the mooring lines of the pile-driving punt in use there. It was a wet, cold and dangerous duty. The river was not reported to have overflowed its banks or scoured them out anywhere, except that at Silverstream it rose to above the level of the road.

Last night reports from Taita indicated that, the waters were 'falling again as rapidly as they rose. Unless further heavy rain fell in the mountains last night, the fresh was considered to have passed its worst. Slip at Belmont.

Blockage of culverts under the recently completed Western Hutt Road caused flooding to a depth of more than a foot in places. Traffic was not impeded, however, except where, a Quarter of a mile north of Belmont Railway Station, the road diverging up.the hillside fell away, blocking the main road below with many tons of rubble. Here traffic had to make a slight detour by a side road. A further slip, but less serious, occurred half a mile farther up the valley. No storm damage was reported in Wellington or the suburbs. At Karori an inch and a quarter of rain was recorded on Wednesday night, and it was stated that this might slightly affect the colour of the city water supply. Stormwater pouring into the harbour stained the sea a dirty yellow yesterday, but the wind was not har'd enough to bring up much of a sea. In contrast to the more blustery but warm northerlies of recent weeks, yesterday was wintry in the city, and in many homes fires blazed yesterday evening for the first time since spring, while heavy coats and scarves were in evidence in the city. The worst of the storm, and the bulk of the rain, apparently passed eastward of the city. Many residents of the harbourside suburbs yesterday recalled the ominous leaden bank of clouds which hung over the Orongorongos and farther ranges the preceding evening, and assumed an even more forbidding appearance later, when the change to southerly weather became imminent. Though yesterday at times the low clouds over the city broke somewhat, and the weather seemed to be clearing, throughout the day the mountains east of the harbour remained shrouded in nimbus.