Heavy Ram, Floods On West Coast-

Northern Advocate, 27 December 1949, Page 4

Heavy Ram, Floods On West Coast-

WESTPORT, Tue.— Heavy rain yesterday caused extensive slips on the railway line between Westport and Inangahua. blocked roads in the Buller Gorge, flooded gardens in Westport, and caused a postponement of the first day of the Westport Trotting Club’s race meeting. Although the rain was not continuous, 21 in. fell in less than 10 hours. There was severe lightning at the height of the storm. The slips on the railway took almost 90ft of formation into the Buller River near Cascade Point, including part of a siding which serves the Cascade Coal Company’s bins.

Because of the slips and others in the vicinity of Hawke’s Craig tunnel, some difficulty was experienced yesterday in getting to the main source of the damage, and it is expected that the line will be closed for some days At Granity, 20 miles from Westport, a slip on the hillside near the southern entrance to the township diverted a creek which flooded several gardensWater and silt entered two houses, but the occupants were able to remove their funiture before much damage was caused.

An electric storm in the Havelock and Rai Valley areas interrupted the telephone service between Blenheim and Nelson. The storm followed a day of high winds which caused minor damage at holiday camps. Heavy rain fell with almost tropical density. •