FLOOD DAMAGE

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 April 1938, Page 7

FLOOD DAMAGE

TO ROADS AND BRIDGES • Y-7j‘ J 'V.tT - FARMERS LOSE HEAVILY [PEB PBESS ASSOCIATION.] HASTINGS, April 26. Thousands of acres still -lie beneath swirling flood waters between Napier and Hastings, in the Whakatu and Karamu settlement areas. The level of the water has declined since Monday in most localities, but farm lands continue to be swept by a. yellow tide. The rain, though less steady, has not ceased, A visit by reporters to Clive and to the two rivers, Ngaruroro and Tutaekuri, showed that prodigious flooding after the breaking of about 15 chains of the old stop-bank of the Ngaruroro on Monday, caused the washingout of the railway line. Two chains of the line near the Tutaekuri River are suspended, the embankment having been washed away. The main Napier-Hastings road is still under two feet of water and is impassable to cars. The actual extent of -the area under water in this district cannot easily be estimated, but stretches of two and three miles are inundated with heavily discoloured wateu*. Stretches of road remain submerged beneath silt and water, and flood debris. Melons, pumpkins, carcases afld logs continue to line fences on the _sides of the main highways and subsidiary roads. The plight of the settlers in these regions is becoming more serious as the duration, of the flood’, it is thought, will cause? unusually heavy damage to property. In Clive many houses are still unfit for occupation. Largescale transportations of sheep and cattle were again made necessary today, as the high paddocks to which the stock had been removed became bogs from the trampling of hoofs. A common sight through districts north, east, west and south of Hastings, was that of thousands of sheep, hundreds of cattle, and even a number of pigs herded together into one field. There were pitiful scenes of farms under water, farmhouses surrounded and partially submerged and cattle and sheep isolated and too weak to move. Stock losses are now known to be severe in many localities, and there are reports that individual farmers have lost 500 to 1000 sheep. Beaches from Westshdre to Haumoana and Clifton bear testimony to the toll which the floods have taken on stock. The carcases of sheep, fowls, goats, and even cattle continue to be cast up on the shingle beaches, where they are attracting hordes of gulls and other scavengers. The loss of stock in the Clive area is set down at 1500 to 2000 sheep.

TO-DAY’S IMPROVEMENT. HASTINGS? April 27. While conditions in Hastings are still far from normal, a vast improvement has taken place since yesterday, The surface water is gradually, getting away, and the borough essential services are. being rapidly restored. The rain has ceased and -the sun is shining at interval's. While the main business area of Hastings escaped damage, one establishment, that of H. G. Aspey’s fruit cool store, in Hastings Street- North, fared badly- The lower portion of this two-storeyed building was flooded to the extent of over 18 inches' of water, and thousands of cases of apples and pears are affected. A grading machine, which was urgently required for export purposes, is completely surrounded by nearly 18 inches of water, on which are floating hundreds of apples. The cooler, in which there are between 3000 and 4000 cases of picked and packed apples and pears, a good portion awaiting exportation, is similarly affected. Owing to the rise in temperature in the cooler, it is considered more than likely that a big proportion of fruit held in storage will be seriously affected.

POVERTY BAY LOSSES. GISBORNE, April 26. A preliminary survey made yesterday shows that roads throughout the district have been seriously damaged by the exceptional rainfall which set in on Saturday-; continued' unabated until yesterday .morning, and resumed again in the afternoon. Of the main roads from Gisborne, that to the north by way of Opctiki is the only one open, this being cleared of flood water at midday yesterday. The Main .South road is completely closed, the temporal y bridge erected after the last floods having been washed away, and slips covering the toad at many points. Settlers on the Poverty Bay flats spent an anxious vigil on Sunday night. Broadcast warnings had indicated the possibility of the Waipoua River overflowing its banks. For miles on one vulnerable section the settlers lined the bank throughout the night prepared for an emergency, but here the rising water was checked within an inch or two of the top of the stopbanks.

Lower down, however, the waters came over, inundating large areas at Manutatake and the Willows settlement. At Manutatake the settlers had to leave their homes, some of which were flooded to a considerable depth. Fortunately ample warning was given and stock was removed to higher ground, so that the loss of stock is likely to be. small. Reports from tjhe railway route suggest that only- mifibr damage is likely to result; . v < . ■ Nearly six inches of rain fell in Gisborne during the 48 hours to 9 o’clock yesterday, and approximately half an inch in the subsequent 24 hours. Tokomaru Bay recorded 12 inches; in the two days, and other country stations record similar heavy falls. A further Investigation of the storm damage shows that blockages on the roads other than fhe/'MXin.'isiorth highway are worse . than-preyi.ously indicated. .On the Main South? road by way of Morere, the slips are the worst for years, and are' likely io take a week to clear, while the replacement of the bridge near Muriwai Will take.a similar time. On the alternative southern route by way of Tiniroto, one section of the road is blocked by the worst slip in a decade, and the bridge at Te Reinga has been washed away, closing the road for days to come, On the East Coast slips varying in size occurred all along the road, beginning a feW toiles from Gisborne.

in addition, several ’bridges or their approaches have been damaged. " ' Particularly serious for Gisborne is the destruction, of a, section of the pipe line conveying; the borough water supply. -The town is now dependent on an emergency reservoir which carries a day’s normal supply. By carefully rationing the water it is hoped' to make the supply last, two or threh days; ■ " . 1 '