DELUGE IN HILLS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24846, 18 March 1944, Page 6

DELUGE IN HILLS

SEVERE FLOOD CAUSED WHAKATANE INUNDATED HEAVY DAMAGE IN SHOPS (0.C.) WHAKATANE, Friday A deluge on the Ohope hills between five and eight o'clock this morning caused the worst flood ever recorded in the borough of Whakatane and converted the Maraetotara Stream and Wairere Falls above the Strand into raging torrents, which, within an amazingly short space of time, overflowed their usual courses and poured through the residential and business areas in an angry brown Hood. Houses and shops were swiftly invaded and by eight o'clock the gravest fears were entertained for something approaching a major disaster. However, the waters had so receded within an hour as to remove all anxiety, but not before thousands of pounds of damage had been done to premises and stock. Great Dam of Logs The flood which covered the greatest area was that created by the swollen Maraetotara, which piled a great dam of logs against the concrete bridge on Valley Road and rose 12 feet in as many minutes. The water poured down Goulstone Road and swept across the paddocks adjoining.

In Anzac Avenue, Douglas and Salonika Streets houses were quickly surrounded and in a very short time the waters were lapping the doorsteps. The flood waters divided at the mouth of the gorge and swept down Valley Road to the Commerce Street intersection where a great stream, carrying logs and debris, invaded all low-lying sections. Hero again many houses were surrounded and the water stretched right across the roadway. Collapse of Cliff

In the business section of the town the normally picturesque Wairere Falls were suddenly converted into a racing cateract. The main cliff gave way under the terrific pressure and pounded down into the basin below. The containing channel according to an eve-witness, rose up like a tremendous fountain and the water poured three feet down the Strand to the sea. The flood carried with it boulders and debris in great quantities, swilling down Wairere Street until it had created a deep bank from material it had gouged out in its path. Within five minutes dozens of business premises and shops on the Strand were invaded and all stock at the flood level was either damaged or ruined. It was impossible at this juncture to cross the Eastern Strand owing to the terrific rate at which the water was flowing. Town Strewn With Debris The waters receded as swiftly as they had risen in this area, but the Strand, as the business people and workers arrived after battling with the waters in the residential areas, presented a dismal picture. Debris coated the shop floors and silt and boulders strowed the street, together with branches of trees and shrubs which had been carried down. Few premises escaped flooding in this area, one of the worst sufferers being Wallace Supplies, where the water was about two feet deep and where heavy losses were experienced. It is not possible yet to get full details of the damage to properties. There have been losses of poultry and pets in the residential area. The heaviest loss is due to damage to stock in the business area.

LAKE TAUPO LEVEL HIGH POINT REACHED STEADY RAIN CONTINUES (0.C.) TAUPO, Friday Lake Taupo is within a few inches of the highest level reached since the dam was installed. The rainfall during the 48 hours ended at 9 a.m. to-day was 3.39 in. in Taupo, and at Rangipo, which is at the southern end of the lake, it was only a little over lin. The fiill effect of the rain has not yet been felt in the lake, and it is expected that the level will rise further. The present level and volume of water is a severe test on the dam, where there is no alternative channel or spillway. Rain is still falling steadily. The Taupo-Napier highway is again closed to all traffic owing to slips at Moliaka, and on the Rissington deviation, and, although bulldozers are at work, it is not expected the road will be opened this week. PUKEKOHE CROP LOSSES WATER ON TILLED AREAS (0.C.) PUKEKOHE, Friday Extensive damage was caused to several cropping areas on Pukekohe Hill as the result of heavy rain which fell in the small hours of this morning. The downpour began a little after midnight and continued for two hours, when it abated for about an hour, "and torrential rain fell again for another hour. Watercourses which had siltod up with Wednesday's downpour could not cope with the water, which then flowed on to the tilled acres, serious scouring taking place. Cabbage plots and seed beds on lie lower levels of the hill suffered most. Some of the growers suffered heavy losses. YEAST DROPPED FROM AIR SUPPLY IN EMERGENCY (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Friday A practical example of wartime cooperation applied to civilian use was given last week, when Wairoa was completely isolated by both road and rail from Napier and Gisborne. Word was received early in the afternoon by the rationing controller that Wairoa was out of yeast for breadmaking, and unless supplies could be got through no bread would be baked. Jin mediate contact was made with the Air Department, which co-operated in arranging for air transport. As there was no landing ground at Wairoa the veast had to be packed in special containers, which could ho dropped from the air. The yeast was made up into three packages and delivered to the airport for immediate despatch from| Auckland. Within an hour of the receipt of the original message the yeast was on its way to Wairoa by plane. ———— RAIN IN THE CITY SMALL GAIN AT DAMS Following the deluge in the city on Thursday night, there was another heavy fall of rain at about three o'clock yesterday morning, but it had ended before 3.30. After a light drizzle at about 5.30 the weather improved and yesterday was fine. The city dams in the Waitakere Ranges gained very little from the rains, as the storm was largely local. Although a fall of 1.69 in. was recorded in the city, little of this apparently fell in the ranges. The gain in storage at the dams was only 8,000,000 gallons, whereas it is estimated that an inch of rain falling on the catchment area will increase the storage by 110,000,000 gallons. LAST DAY OF SUMMER The passing of summer will ho officially marked next Tuesday with the occurrence of the autumnal equinox which heralds the season of autumn. On Tuesday, the sun will cross the celestial equator from the southern to the northern hemisphere, and day and night, all 'over the globe, will be of equal length. Sunrise and sunset tables, however, which are expressed in mean solar time, indicate day and night as being of nearly equal length next Friday, when the sun will rise at 6.27 a.m. and set at 6.28 p.m.