ABNORMAL RAINFALL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVII, Issue 204, 27 July 1927, Page 7

ABNORMAL RAINFALL.

FLOODS IN THE NORTH.

Per Press Associaion. WHANGAREI, July 26. Those districts most susceptible to flooding have suffered severely as a result of the heavy rains of the past 48 hours. . At one o’clock this morning Wliangarei was swept by a terrific downpour that had the gutters running like mill races in less than five minutes. Ine downpour lasted for 15 minutes and then eased off. . The Whangarei gauge for the M hours ended at 9 o’clock this morning registered 2.19 inches of rain, and toi the previous 24 hours 1.13 inches. The readings at Kamo for the respective periods were 2.02 and 1.02 inches, and at Ruatanga 2.84 and .95 inches. What is reported to be the biggest flood in 60 years is sweeping the country to the north, and several bridges have been carried away. No servico cars are running between Kaitaia and Otiria. , A Kaitaia report states that the rainfall for the month totals 10.22 inches, as compared with 4.15 inches for the previous July . There was bright sunshine to-day and little evidence in town of the deluge, but at 7 o’clock the lowering clouds again gathered and thunderstorms raged in the north and west. The north train had a chequered career to-day. The line was clear to Towai, but the area between Maromuku and Opalii (about 25 miles from Whangarei) is experiencing one of the worst floods in its history. The train was stopped 100 yards on the Whangarei side of Opahi on account of logs on the line. At this point the water was a foot above the bottom step of the carriages. As the Opahi platform was inundated and the approaches covered by several feet of flood waters the train was halted a few yards further away to permit of the passengers leaving and joining. As the result of a big slip on the railway line north of Waiotira, the night train from Auckland did not reach Whangarei till 8.45 this morning, eight hours behind schedule. Minor slips were experienced south of Maungaturoto, and the train arrived there two hours late. Word of the slip was received at Maungaturoto and the train proceeded as far as Waiotifa, where the passengers were made comfortable for the remainder of the night. After the slip had been inspected, the Public Works train was dispatched from Maungaturoto, and in a couple of hours the debris was cleared away, and after breakfast at Waiotira the train proceeded without further hindrance to Whangarei. The journey occupied 16J hours, and when the train arrived the front of the engine and the underpart of the carriages were well spattered with mud.