TORRENTIAL RAIN

Southland Times, Issue 22508, 16 February 1935, Page 6

TORRENTIAL RAIN

FLOOD IN AUCKLAND

WORST FOR MANY YEARS

DAMAGE TO SHOPS

(Per United Press Association.) Auckland, February 15.

Torrential rain of exceptional severity fell in Auckland and the suburbs this afternoon, causing considerable damage in the shops and warehouses in the lower parts of the city and in the lowlying areas in the suburbs. Heavy rain in the early hours of the morning was followed by warm humid conditions, but shortly after 1 o’clock the weather again became thick and following a minor cloudburst, the storm broke in full force and continued unabated for two hours. ... The rain was accompanied by a miiu electrical storm. By 4 o’clock the wind, which had been light from the northeast, swung round to the south-west with a quick improvement in conditions, allowing thousands of shoppers who had been marooned under shop verandahs for most of the afternoon to make for their homes.

The total fall from midnight to 4 pm. was 4.40 in, of which probably three and a hah inches fell during the afternoon. At the height of the stoim rain was falling at the rate of two inches an hour and with the city drainage system failing to cope with the water, the streets were awash and flood waters entered many basements in the business area.

A dozen young men had the unusual experience of swimming almost in the heart of the city. Wearing only football shorts, they plunged around up to their waists in water in Fort street lane in C n effort to locate and clear some of the storm water gratings and in the intervals of their labours they swam about and even took shallow dives before a large crowd of amused spectators. Fort street lane and the warehouses abutting on it always suffer when a heavy rainfall coincides with a fairly high tide, but to-day’s experience is considered to have been the worst case of flooding for many years. By 4.30 the water was over three feet deen at the lowest part of the lane. In many warehouses the cellars were flooded to a depth of two feet and over. In one warehouse a solid concrete floor was cracked open by the subterranean water pressure and the whole cellar was covered to a depth of two feet.

The flood showed no signs of receding and finally a machine from the central fire brigade was despatched to the scene. Two leads were connected with a powerful pump and at the rate of 350 gallons a minute, the lane was pumped dry. In Fort street a large area of wooden paving blocks was forced up by the pressure of the water from the overloaded main. •