TOWN FLOODED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23594, 1 March 1940, Page 6

TOWN FLOODED

GBEYMOUTH'S PLIGHT RIVER TEARS UP PAVING TRIBUTARIES STILL RISING [BT TELEGRAPH OWN* CORRESPONDENT] GREYMOUTH, Thursday When the Grey "River broke its banks at eight o'clock to-night Greymouth faced the prospect of its worst flood in recent history. From high tide at 3.2- 1 ) p.m. until eight o'clock the Grey River continued to rise slowly, in contrast with the last big flood in 1936, when a sharp rise of more than 2ft. occurred within an hour as the tide rose. Prospects were much worse to-night as the flood waters invaded the town shortly before lon- tide and continued to increase in volume as the tide rose. Coupled with this, reports from country districts at 10 o'clock indicated that all tributaries of the Grey River were still rising. Firebell Sounded Although Maekav Street at the junction with Boundary Street was Hooded from four o r*lo(*k tins afternoon through the pressure of the water filtering through the drains, it was not until eight o'clock that a breach v*as made in Richmond Quay in circumstances similar to those in the last flood. The firebell was then sounded to warn shopkeepers of the danger, but most of them had prepared throughout the day and all stocks had been lifted above the possible Hood level. The quickly-swelling waters made more breaches in Richmond and Mawhera Quays and within half an hour Johnston Street and Boundary street carried large volumes of water, the rush of which soon ripped up the asphalt paving. A Second Alarm At nine o'clock a second alarm was sounded on the firebell, and hundreds of people, the majority in motor-cars, gathered in the vicinity. The wharves were cleared early when it becarie apparent that the flood waters would rise considerably. Two factors contributed to the failure of the river to break its banks as expected at high tide. The first was the fact that, with neap tide:,, the incoming current is less strong than with spring tides, while the Grey River maintained throughout the day and even at high tide an average current of more than 12 knots.

STOPBANKS HOLD MARGIN OF TWO INCHES waimakariri in flood ESCAPE OF CHRISTCHURCH [by TET.KCrRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] CHRISTCHURCH, Thursday Carrying the greatest volume of water in its history, the Waimnkariri River this afternoon burst through a stopbank ax Coutts Island. A large area of land was flooded and 26 families were forced to vacate their homes with only a few personal belongings. The main highway was blocked, the water being 3ft. deep at 8 p.m. at the junction of the Stewart Gully Road. Backed tip by the tide, the Kaiapoi River caused back seepage in the drains, flooding the streets and important sections of the Kaiapoi Woollen Manufacturing Company's mill and the North Canterbury Freezing Company's works. Two homes of farmers on the banks of the Cam River were flooded and two baches and the signal hut at Kairaki were swept out to sea. Terrifying Spectacle

After nine weeks of continuous flooding and freshes, the Waimakariri, fed by many large branches I'rom its mountainous watershed, where exceptional rainfalls have been recorded recently, to-day became a river of terrifying force. Bank to bank it swirled under the highway bridge on the Main North Road at a velocity of loft, a second The tops of the stopbanks were only two inches above the peak of tlie flood at 9 p.m. The unprecedentedly high flood fully tested the many miles of protection works built by the Waimakariri River Trust. The works, trust officials said, had saved Christchurch from r. grave menace of flooding. Bv 9 p. n. the danger of the river cutting into the channel that leads to tlie back of Fendalton was passed, the recent strengthening of the banks in that vicinity keeping the Hood waters confined. Heavy Rain in Mountains For days flooding in the Waimakariri had caused anxiety and a continuous watch was kept by the trust's engineer. Mr. W. H. Harris, who had not had sleep since last Saturday night and was on duty again all la«t night. Warnings of exceptional rainfall in the mountains and the rapid rising of the level of the river in the Waimakariri Gorge prepared the trust officials and all settlers in the low-lying areas were given an hour's notice to remove themselves and their stock to ?afetv.

NORTH TARANAKI MI«T FOOD FROM All? DELAYED [BT TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION'} NEW PLYMOUTH., Thursday Xo deliveries of bread by air were possible to-day, as a heavy mist covered the North Taranaki districts, which have been isolated by the floods. Visibility from the air was reduced to nil.

WANGANUI AREA DAMAGED J\ ITER SWEEPS ROAD AWAY [n\' TELEGRAPIT PRESS ASSOCIATION'} WANG A Nil], Thursday Tt will bo a fortnight before a horse track is cleared along the road from Raetihi to Pipiriki. The Wnnganui River road is clear for only 15 miles and is blocked at many points further north. In many places the road has been entirely swept away by the river.