Storm Sweeps North; Temporary Flooding; Transport Dislocation

Northern Advocate, 27 July 1938, Page 8

Storm Sweeps North; Temporary Flooding; Transport Dislocation

WHANGAREI ITSELF AND THE MIDDLE NORTH AS WELL VERY LARGELY ESCAPED THE PATH OF YESTERDAYS STORM, EXTENSIVE FLOODING OCCURRED IN SOME DISTRICTS, AND THERE WERE SOME TEMPORARY INTERRUPTIONS OF A NUMBER OF ROAD AND RAIL SERVICES.

However, by this morning flooding had subsided, gangs wore working rapidly to open the railway line south of Maungaturoto for traffic, and, ex-

cept on several secondary routes where slips had occurred, road traffic was uninterrupted.

Something in the nature of a cloudburst swept the Matapouri-Whangarei Heads coastal belt. The Whangarei-Auckland main •

highway was blocked by a slip at Albany, which it is anticipated would not. be cleared until midday, but the Port Albert alternative route was atm open.

. The Whangarei-Dargaville road was doVered with three feet of flood water at Taylor's Flat. The Mangakahia main highway north was impassable on account of flooding at Fraser’s Flat, while flooding has also taken place at Moerewa.

Although heavy rain fell in Russell the service car got through to Whangarei without difficulty this mornipg. There was a foot of water over the road at. Whakapara, but the flood Was subsiding rapidly.

- Last night, traffic was held up at various points on the road between Maungaturoto and Waiwera, and the main road between Waiwera and Hadfields Beach is blocked by a slip. The alternative route to Auckland by upper Waiwera is also blocked by slips.

■ During the height of the storm a slip came down in the Dome Valley, completely blocking the rbad for a length of about 300 yards. The work of clearing the debris this morning was estimated to take about two hours.

; The road was severely flooded through the valley and at 9 o’clock ohe part about four miles south of Warkwor.th was covered to a depth of about three feet, although later the water began to subside.

The last car to traverse the Dome Valley left Wellsford at 7 o’clock, vthile several motorists were prevented from returning to Auckland and had to remain there the night.

It was reported at a late hour that a new filling south of Albany had started to subside, and that a large cutting north of the township was caving in.