STORM AND CYCLONE.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 October 1921, Page 3

STORM AND CYCLONE.

j DAMAGE AT PARIHAKA AND PUNGABIEHU. SOLDIER SETTLERS’ LOSSES. Writes our Pungarehu. correspondent: —The storm which broke over this district during the early hours of Friday morning was the worst experienced for years, and worked havoc. The lightning flashed and thunder roared, while the wind was terrific and the torrential rain quickly transformed the dry land into a lake. A cyclone, which broke over Parihaka, and carried away everything in its course, was disastrous for some of the soldier settlers, unroofing houses, carryring away cowsheds, and laying low the fences, etc. The storm cloud travelled south of Pungarehu across ta the Whataroa Road, and Mr. B. Rooks, who lives in the vicinity, was a heavy loser, the storm partly demolishing his cowshed and damaging his house. A little further on a piece of bush was almost totally destroyed, trees being torn out by the roots and scorched up. Huge gorse bushes were also torn up and carried on by the cyclone for a considerable distance. Mr. D. Walshe, another soldiersettler, suffered considerable loss, the full force of the storm seeming to have struck the cowshed,, and completely demolishing it. The milking plant, just recently installed, was rendered useless, and the huge block of concrete on which the engine was set was completely overturned, showing the tremendous force of the wind and storm. The milk-cart was also damaged and put out of com- i mission for the time being. Passing on, i the gale struck the house, unroofing it, I and carrying sheets of iron, rafters and I other timber fully half a mile away. A ; , piece of timber was .driven so firmly into i i the metalled road that it had to be dug ■ (out. The occupants of the house must ■ 1 have had a very trying time, for the ' (rain was falling in a veritable flood, and ■ I the falling t imber and iron, together with i I the heavy thunder and vivid lightning, I i must have created a very uncomfortable I feeling. " ' Still another soldier-settler reports the loss of a tank, which was evidently carried away by the storm.

Much sympathy is felt for these new settlers, who have lost so heavily right at the beginning of their new venture, and it is hoped that no further calamity will visit them.