FAMILY'S PLIGHT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23101, 28 July 1938, Page 14

FAMILY'S PLIGHT

ORAKEI SHACK FLOODED ORDEAL DURING THE STORM SHELTER IN MEETING HOUSE Forced t.O leave their wood and onnvas shark at Orakci when turbulent flood waters six inches deep to rush across the earthen floor at the •height of tin? storm on Tuesday night a man, liis wife and six children had tp take refuge in the meeting house at tho uittivo village, and they remained there for the rest of the night. A scene of desolation greeted them when thev returned yesterday morning. jinilfc on the fringe of a tangle of scrub at the north-eastern end of the village tiie shack was in the path of a torrent of water and silt which poured down from an adjacent steep hillside. Within a few minutes holes and small declivities were tilled and then the water began to hank up until the entire locality was converted into a huge pond. 'I he flood rushed into the shack and articles on the floor were hastily placed out of its reach. Not knowing how long the storm would last tho family decided to evacuate the shack and seek shelter elsewhere. Several ot the children, whose ages range from eight to 19, were ferried by dinghy to a brick building on tho waterfront road, where ihe.v obtained a temporary refuge. Jn tho jneantime the lather waded knee deep in 11 water to the native village, where permission was obtained to move into the meeting; house lor the night. "It was terrifying—l have never known anything like it," said the mother of the family yesterday morning. "You would not have thought it possible for the water to havo risen so quickly. I do not know what would have happened if the rain had continued.

"Wo have been here since Christinas because wo cannot net a Jiou.se," she said, in explaining why they were living in such circumstances. " The trouble is, that people nowadays will not Jet tJieir places to tejrunts who linvo children."

CROPS DAMAGED POTATOES WASHED AWAY SOIL EROSION ON HILL PUKEKOHE GROWERS' LOSS [from our own corkksfondknt] PUK EKOH E, Wednesday Extensive damage to early potato and onion crops on Pukekohe Hill was caused by heavy rain which followed a severe electrical storm early this morning. Drains and channels were unable to rope with the downpour and the storm-water gouged its way through the crops on the hillside, taking in its course germinated potatoes. freshly-planted onions and tons of heavily-manured top-soil. All parts of the hill suffered'—to-day huge furrows scoured by the water were to be seen in many paddocks. Metalled roads on the hill were also damaged to some extent by the downpour. A rain gauge on the property of .Mr. L\ Miller, Pukekohe Jlill, registered a fall of over oin. during tho night. EFFECT IN WAITAKERES CITY WATER SUPPLY SAFE Although of unusual severity tho storm on Tuesday night did not adversely alfeet the city waterworks plant in the W'aitakero Manges. The city waterworks engineer, Mr. A. 1). Mead, said yesterday that lie had received no reports of damage to the big reservoirs iji the hills or to the pipe lines which carry the supply to the city. There had been one or two small slips along the pipe tracks, but these had occasioned no worry, as they were easily cleaned up, and did not threaten tlie stability of the mains. The. new Scenic Drive along the ridges of the Waitakere Manges from Tifirangi was thoroughly tested by thu storm :.nd. while numerous small slips occurred at cuttings for a distance of about six miles, the new surface was not in any way damaged. HAMILTON ESCAPES ONLY HALF AX INCH OF MAIN fl IIOM OUR OWN COItHKSI'ONDKNT] HAMILTON", Wodncsiliiy Hamilton cseap< d the unusually heavy rain that deluged Auckland last night, and only into fin ill en t showers, some of which were fairly heavy, fell in the town. The rainfall for the 21 hours ended i) a.m. to-day equalled 0.00 in., bringing the rainfall lor the month to date up to 7.7i>in.. as against tho average for July, For the year to date .'l2.! , Uiu. has fallen, the yearly average being -l(5-.'i2in. There, was no rain to-dav.