MANG ARABIA FLOOD

Northern Advocate, 23 May 1928, Page 4

MANG ARABIA FLOOD

STORY OF AN EYE-WITNESS. Further sidelights on the flood which inundated the Mangakahia last week, causing considerable damage, were detailed by Hr D. Lang, this morning. “On the Monday, somewhere after midnight,” he said, “I was awakened by Mrs Lang, who considered that a flood was imminent, but I thought that she had been deceived by the swamp water. The rain continued to descend in great 'volume, and about 2 a.m. I got up and went out to have a look around. I noticed that the river was rising rapidty and that some of the low country was under water. I then told my wife to ring up Messrs Tims, Ruddell and the post office, iji order that an alarm might be given to those living lower down the valley. There was some difficulty in raising the post office people, but eventually they were got in touch with.'

“In the mean time 1 I had rounded up my stock and put them in a place of comparative safety. When I left the house the water was t\v.o feet below the riverbank, but in a space of about five minutes it had broken over the banks ami was knee-deep in the paddocks. I then went to give Mr 'Films a hand, but found that both he and his neighbour, Mr Wilson, were missing. The latter had been swept fully 20 chains down the river and landed on the opposite side, having managed to scramble up into a tree. At daybreak be was rescued by Mr Jilm Nahi, who waded out for a distance of four or five chains, in water about four feet dep, and carried him to safety.

“I had concentrated bn a search for Mr Tims, but could not find a trace of him and came to the conclusion that he had boon carried away. Luckily, however, daylight revealed him perched in a tree not far from his homestead.

“The flood ro.se with alarming quickness and at 3 a.m. must have been fully 32 feet above the banks near the hills. I had scouted the wife’s idea of a flood, as I had forded the river at dark on the previous evening.

“Mr Dysart, who lost. 500 sheep and 60 cattle estimates his loss at £I2OO. Mr Tims lost 41 hoggets and 28 sheep, and at my place 60 chains of fencing have gone and 100 acres of pasture lands are silted over. It is impossible yet to assess the dapiage occasioned.”