MANAWATU AREA

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20547, 6 May 1941, Page 11

MANAWATU AREA

FAMILIES RESCUED POLICE AND ARMY WORST POINTS CORDONED (Per Press Association.) PALMERSTON N., this day. Rising throughout yesterday from the 12ft. .reading at Filzherbert bridge, the gauge at 9 a.m. on the Manawatu River reached the maximum of 19ft. above normal summer level at midnight and held this through the remainder of the night to produce disastrous floods in the farming areas on the western bank towards Ashhurst and in lower parts of the city as well as southwards. Many families were evacuated from the Raukawa road, near Ashhurst, from Te Matai, where a block of about 2000 acres left a lake and from Hokowhitu district within the city area where the flood poured in about midnight.

From late in the afternoon until dawn this morning police parties, together with the units of the Territorial Army now encamped in and about the city, worked inccasingly evacuating people from their houses, from rooftops, from islands and, in one case, at least from a telegraph pole. Children were taken from attics in several places and at Hokowhiti the army stationed a searchlight during the night. Calls for Boats

This morning calls were made for more boats and the army threw a cordon round parts of the lower end of the city to prevent confusion. In the areas worst affected only persons having homes or similar interests were allowed through the cordon. So great was the flood that it was thought inadvisable to allow trains over the bridge at Longburn late yesterday afternoon and in the night and passengers transferred between Linton and Palmerston North.

Hundreds of sheep were seen yesterday afternoon floating dead in the churning waters and it is probable that losses will run into thousands. At the height of the flood the water running under the Fitzherbert bridge was estimated at 110,000 cu. feet a second or 40,000,000 gallons a minute. Flooding Imminent

Stock was removed yesterday over wide areas of farming land below the city and it is expected the top of the flood will reach low-lying areas of the Manawatu early this afternoon. Many miles of banking flank the river practically throughout the lower area and serious flooding is believed fo be imminent in a number of districts there. In Makerua the banking along the river is of varying heights and this morning it was thought that much of this might be topped by the peak of flood. About Buckley district 13ft. is the general height of the bank and at Moutoa where the Government has been engaged on establishing a flax growing area, complete evacuation was undertaken.

The flood in 1902 which is regarded in the district as the highest known since the recordings of rivet levels, has been possibly • reached. The present flood is due to the heavy rain in the watershed of the Manawatu and tributaries, rain having fallen here from 7 a.m. on Saturday to 7 p.m. on Sunday, the total being 2.46 in. with very little since.