GALES AND FLOODS

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 February 1947, Page 5

GALES AND FLOODS

SHARP CHANGE IN NEW SOUTH WALES ABRUPT END TO DROUGHT SYDNEY, Feb. 14. A transformation in New South Wales from drought and heat is the flooding of the north-west and a tremendous storm. There is an easterly gale lashmg the New South Wales coast, and forcing ships to shelter. It is buffeting those vessels caught away from the ports. Huge seas are rolling through the Sydney Heads. They have caused Manly ferries to ship water to-day, and tore many small craft from moorings. Though the Manly ferry boats took heavy seas, nobody was hurt. Yachts Forced Ashore. The yacht Minstral, a competitor in the Sydney-Hobart race a few weeks ago, was driven into Neutral Bay, but she was towed off rocks there, and is apparently undamaged. Other yachts and launches were forced ashore. There were efforts to take a Dutch freighter, the Tjibesar, to sea, despite a ban by the watersiders. The efforts were defeated by the heavy seas, which forced the pilot to anchoi the vessel within the heads until the conditions moderate. H.M. Submarine Auriga, had to abandon exercises after being half an hour>iat sea. The wind was so strong this morning that all ship movements within the harbour were curtailed. Tent dwellers at the northern suburban beach resorts lost their tents, and were flooded out by continuous rain. The rain.also caused furtherdamage to many houses, the roofs of which have not been repaired since the hailstorms of New Year’s Day.

A Vast Quagmire. With rivers running up to thenbanks, and the residents of many towns taking flood precautions, the north-west plains of New South Wales are a vast quagmire. The Barwon River is above flood level, and many townships are completely isolated. Hundreds of square miles of the plains have changed from hard baked earth to swamps, in which men and stock sink feet deep. Further rain is predicted.