FLOODS IN SOOTH ISLAND

Taranaki Daily News, 19 July 1929, Page 11

FLOODS IN SOOTH ISLAND

BERWICK HOMES INUNDATED WORST EXPERIENCED FOR YEARS.’ SNOW DEEP IN MacKENZIE COUNTRY SOUTH CANTERBURY DRENCHED. By Telegraph—Press Association. Timaru, Last Night. The coastal districts of Canterbury and the Taieri plains, Otago, are in the grip of the worst' flood experienced for years. The full force of the long storm has been felt in the Mackenzie country, where roads are damaged and settlers marooned. Snow is deep there. Damage generally is not severe. Steady rain set in on Monday in South Canterbury and continued almost without a break until early last evening. In some parts of the district the fall was exceptionally heavy and as a result all the rivers are in high flood. The fact that a heavy southerly sea' has been running all the week has prevented the flood waters from getting away and in many places rivers and creeks have overflowed their banks, submerging the surrounding country, in cases to a depth of four feet and more. While a fair amount of damage has been done to roads and property on the low country near the coast the full effect of the storm has been made apparent in the Mackenzie Country, where bridges and approaches have been washed away and run-holders are marooned. At Geraldine the river undermined the foundations of the back portion of a garage which collapsed, precipitating four cars and a motor-truck into the flood waters. Two of the cars and the truck were later located but the remaining two ears are still missing. Temuka is cut off by road both north and south and Timaru is in a similar position, communication from the south being blocked by flood water on tlie south side of the Parebra bridge. There was three feet of snow in some parts of the Mackenzie Country yesterday morning and snow fell at intervals throughout the day at Tekapo. In Timaru the rainfall till five, this evening was four inches, but there has been little since that hour and indications are that the worst is over, RAIN MELTS THE SNOWS.

Heavy rain and the melting of snow in the back country have resulted in the most serious flood experienced on the Taieri plain since 1923, when Dunedin too was inundated, reports the Press Association from. Dunedin. - ■' From a short distance south of Ailanton to Henley is a huge expanse of water, covering the railway line to a depth of over three feet and the main South Road is in one portion covered to a depth of six feet. The flooded area consists almost solely of farm land, but serious damage is not anticipated. The farmers had aniple warning of the rising of the fixer and. stock was removed to higher land. As far as is known no losses of stock have been experienced. One of the most seriously affected portions of the plain is at Berwick, where homes have been inundated. As a result of the flooding of the railway line traffic south of Mosgiel was suspended to-day and it is thought unlikely that the train services will be resumed to-morrow. The difficulties have been added to by the fact that a washout has occurred near Otokia but its full extent will not be known until the flood waters have subsided. Mails were carried by lorry between Dunedin and Milton to-day but one of the vehicles is still held up. at Henley owing to the rising of the river. The service on the Outrani branch line is likely to be suspended for some days. The midnight express from Christchurch was unable to get past Dunedin and this morning's Invercargill-Christ-church express is held at Milton and passengers are unable to complete the journey, even by road. ~, a : At Bushey on the north road the floods have closed the road, but the railways are not affected. The rain has ceased in Dunedin. , The Main South Road at Hinds is blocked, Ashburton reports, and the access roads to Methven are also impassable. No extensive damage is reported, though a few sheep are reported to have been drowned in the Methven district. The fall at Ashburton yesterday was 220 points, the heaviest for some years. The total since Sunday is 332 points.