MENACE OF FLOODS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 18961, 11 March 1936, Page 4

MENACE OF FLOODS

ANXIETY FOR HOMES

AKAROA PENINSULA

SERIOUS SLIPS ON ROADS

(Per I’ress Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, this day. Late last- evening the indications were that- the Hooding at Little River which caused so much damage and inconvenience on Monday night might be repeated. Heavy showers of rain had been falling again. Lake Forsyth was rising steadily and it appeared that, if the. downpour continued for any time, residents in the lowest areas might have to he taken from'their homes. Water had again covered the road all the way from Birdling's Flat to Little River and the surge was right up to tlie Olcuti-Kinloch road.

Residents in this district and at Little River were then, anxiously‘watching the rise of the flood. The inconvenience at Little River was aggravated by a failure of Hie power supply and broken pipes caused a shortage of water for many homes.

The peninsula generally seems to have suffered far worse than other parts of Canterbury where flooding was heavy. Most serious damage was done to main roads. From most settlements yesterday came reports of roads blocked by more or less serious slips and washouts. By far the worst experience was at Red John’s Gully on the main Christchurch- Aknroa highway, about a mile on tlip Christchurch side of a Hilltop. There a huge slij> swept down the Hillside and buried three chains of road in 12ft. of mud and Hush, and fell down into the valley. It- will take until Thursday for workmen to construct a. usable track over this slip, and many days before it can be cleared. Yesterday, passengers and goods had to he transhipped across.