RIVERS OVERFLOW BETWEEN NELSON AND BLENHEIM

Grey River Argus, 24 February 1949, Page 5

RIVERS OVERFLOW BETWEEN NELSON AND BLENHEIM

p.A. BLENHEIM, February 23. Service car passengers who left Blenheim and Nelson about 8 o’clock this morning will reach their destinations some twelve hours behind schedule. They have spent most of those hours stranded at Havelock and Canvastown, waiting for flood waters to subside. . . A deluge, which set in about midnight, arid continued in varying degrees during this morning and early afternoon, resulted in the Pelorus and Wakamarina Rivers rising rapidly, until they overflowed their banks, and effectively blocked the highway at several points. The service cars and private traffic from Blenheim mostly halted at Havelock, some miles from the scene of the flood, but those from Nelson got within a short distance of Canvastown, to find that they were completely stranded. People in some private cars had to be rescued by farm carts, and, in one case, according to a passenger, the horse drawing the cart had to keep its head well, up to be clear of the water. Many farmers in the outlying districts are still isolated, and it is feaied that stock losses may be heavy, as the suddenness of the floods gave little opportunity of shifting the stock to higher ground. The flood level began to subside early to-night, and at about 8 P-irn service cars and lorries were able to get through. Private traffic, however, will remain stranded for, some hours yet. . Heavy Rain in Mt. Cook Region ■ITMARU, February 23. In less than 24 hours, about one foot of rain fell in the Mount Cook Hermitage area up to this afternoon.