THE RECENT STORM.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3223, 20 May 1911, Page 5

THE RECENT STORM.

EFFECTS IN OTHER PLACES.

MANY AREAS FLOODED

I.PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.!

The following weather reports were received here yesterday.

NAPIER

Exceptionally heavy rain lias been falling almost continually for twentyfour hours anil fear was entertained for the low lying parts of the district, which are already under water, and! the rivers are .reported to be rising fast. Some of the town streets are a sea. of water. . , The Central River Board, constituted under the Act passed last session, was elected' yesterday, and it looks as if it will soon have an object lesson of need for united action. HASTINGS, Tt is raining heavily and the low lying portions of the town are flooded with surface water. Up country reports state that the rivers are rising rapidly. WAIROA. A heavy south-westerly. gale blew yesterday and last night, with much rain. The .rivers are in heavy flood, as over six inches of rain fell in twenty-four hours. No heavy damage is yet reported, but several small slips andl washouts have occurred on the roads. The coacn to Morere is unable to get through. WAIPAWA. The gale has subsided, but the river is in. high flood, and portions of the lowlying country is submerged. No serious damage is reported. Later. —The'worst of the storm is over and! the v'eather now shows signs of clearing. During 24 hours 5.83 inches of rain fell, of which 4.78 descended between 9 o’clock and 4 o’clock yesterday. The condition of the rivers indicates that the fall in the country has been nothing like as heavy as m town, otherwise the-position would have been serious. As it is a vast area of low lying land is under water, but it is now rapidly falling. Owing to a sewer outlet becoming blocked, with silt, a great quantity of storm water is lying about the lowlying streets in the borough, and in the vicinity of the railway station to the depth, of a foot to eighteen inches. A number of residents had to leave their homes last night. Several very serious slips are reported on. the hills, and the damage win be considerable. CONDITIONS IN GISBORNE. Although, all immediate danger of a disastrous flood' in this district was over soon after the heavy rain stopped early on Thursday morning, the weather all day yesterday was by no means promising. Early yesterday morning heavy dark clouds gathered and soon rain began to fall, continuing, in showers of more or less force, practically all day andl into the night. Early this morning rain was falling. lightly, the temperature was fairly low, and. a moderate southerly wind was blowing, the general conditions being anything but favorable.

THE OFFICIAL FORECAST. [PER PRESS ABBOCIATION. J WELLINGTON, May 19. The Meteorological Office to-night issued the following weather summary and forecast: —Southerly winds,, strong to gale, have prevailed northwards ojt Gape Campbell and Farewell Spit, with much, rain in. parts, especially on the east coast and the southern districts of the ; JNortn Island. The weather has continued cold and .fine on the west coast of the Sou til Island, but unsettled and showery in other parts. Little change is reported m the barometer. Present indications are for a slowly rising barometer m the north, but a fall soon elsewhere, and, strong southerly winds backing to westerly northward of Farewell and Kaikouia, and westerlies ' moderate to strong elsewhere. Showery and changeable weather is probable generally. •