STORMS AND FLOODS

Grey River Argus, 12 May 1932, Page 5

STORMS AND FLOODS

IN SOUTH CANTERBURY Six Inches in 24 Hours (Ter Press Association;. TIMARU, May 11. Heavy rain fell overnight, three ami a-half inches being recorded up to nine o’clock this morning. The roads north and south are interrupted, ' and the train from Fairlie is held up at Levels, owing to water on “the line. It is still raining. TIMARU, May 11. Not for many years has South Canterbury experienced such heavy rain as that which has fallen during the past twenty-four hours up till five o’clock to-night. The fall in some districts has ‘exceeded six inches, the greater part of this being recorded before nine this morning. Coming so closely on top of the severe drenching that the countryside received in February, the rain caused further extensive flooding. Districts which escaped the last flood were inundated this time, extensive damage being done to fences. So far no loss of stock has been reported. The Mackenzie Country missed the greater part of the rain, but it ha- 5 suffered a severe snowstorm, the fall in Fairlie township during the night being eighteen inches. A similar amount fell at The Hermitage, and two feet fell at Tekapo. The power and telephone lines were brought down all over the district. There were vast stretches of surface water, but this quickly subsided. In an hour or so the creeks were transformed into raging torrents, flooding the surrounding country to a depth of several feet. z Road communication north and south of Timaru was cut off this morning. but cars got through from the north to-night. The main railway line is not so far affected, but the Pareora bridge is causing some concern again. IN TARANAKI Lightning Damage NEW PLYMOUTH, May 11. A severe thunderstorm, accompanied by extraordinarily heavy rain and Lail, passed over New Plymouth in the early hours of this morning. A water main at Mangorei was struck by lightning. a great hole being torn in the steel pipe, seriously restricting the water supply. A thunderbolt tore a deep hole in a garden at Mangorei within a few feet of a house. There are heavy seas on the coasr, but the liners Rotorua and Raranga, and the coastal and small craft, rodo out the storm comfortably in the harbour.