Gale Force Winds In Storm : No Serious Damage

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 December 1950, Page 4

Gale Force Winds In Storm : No Serious Damage

No serious damage has been, reported as a result of the storm conditions bn '■ the West Coast. yesterday, in which winds reached gale force at times; : There were no major interruptions to the.= power supply and road routes between the West Coast and Canterbury remain open. A deluge of rain caused extensive flooding in South Westland, and at Wataroa a rainfall of 10J inches was recorded between midday on Wednesday, when the downpour started, and 9 o’clock this morning, by. which time the weather was showing signs of clearing. . Several slips and washouts blocked the main south road between Ross and the. glaciers yesterday, stranding overnight about 70 holiday travellers at Wataroa, but by' 10.30 this morning the road was again negotiable. The main, blockage was at the Wataroa bluff, where a big slip came down, but two bulldozers were available to clear a track across the debris. Likewise the road has been made negotiable in other places, but extreme caution is necessary.

All available accommodation in the hotels at Wataroa and Okarito Forks was taken yesterday.. Emergency arrangements to accommodate the overflow were made by Constable N. B. Oxnam, residents ’of the district billeting up to four and five tourists. Heavy Rainfall

Falls of rain of up to five inches in the 24 hours ended last evening were reported from several parts of the West Coast, and in most districts the fall was 2J inches. Greymouth had 4 j inches, Hokitika 3 inches and Reefton 2.65 inches. Before this rain began Greymouth was likely to have had its driest year for 18 years. The total now, however, is 78.99 inches, compared with 78 inches in 1947, the driest year since 1932. A strong fresh occurred in the Grey river last evening and this morning it continued to run at 6 to 7 knots.

Air Service Affected

The air service between Hokitika and Nelson was cancelled yesterday and in lieu of alternative arrangements being made, the passengers were accommodated on today’s service. Two flights were scheduled for to'day, and cancellations caused through country passengers being unable to connect, made available sufficient seats for yesterday’s passengers in addition to normal bookings.

Heavy flooding occurred in the New river at Camerons but no damage was reported. The new diversion channel recently completed by the Railways Department carried the main volume of water and prevented further serious undermining of the southern approach to the rail bridge. Two slips occurred on the road to Mitchells, the biggest being at Carew Creek, which had given trouble previously. Yesterday morning’s rain up-coun-try, was heavy in the water-shed of the Hokitika River, causing the Kokatahi road to be flooded, and by 1.30 p.m. the Hokitika River had risen to within a couple of feet of wharf level. The volume of water, which had been backed up by the tide, remained high in the stream until 5.30 p.m., when it began to fall rapidly. The lower,lying part of the town in Weld, Hamilton and Fitzherbert Streets; was under water, but it had all drained away by 11 p.m.