SERIOUS FLOODS.

Wairarapa Age, 7 August 1930, Page 5

SERIOUS FLOODS.

+ CANTERBURY DISTRICTS UNDER WATER. RESIDENTS LEAVE HOMES AT OPAWA. LOW-LYING AREAS SUFFER. CHRISTCHURCH, August 6. Water is lying a foot deep round the railway station and in parts of the township at Little River, The water at the railway station was only two inches from the top of the platform, and the electric train from Christchurch was not able to approach further than within a quarter of a mile. The passengers were transferred to trollies from there and taken on to the > township. The railway station it- < ~ self is isolated. In Opawa about twenty people, mak- - ing up six families, were shifted from their homes in Richardson Terrace, between Sylvester and Wildberry streets, to houses on higher land where neighhad opened their homes to refugees. Several of the men who assisted put on bathing suits, and waded about waist high in the floods, carrying out the women and children on their backs. The experience of Mr. and Mrs. J. Archer was typical of what all the residents in the affected area went through. At a late hour last night there was no sign of dangerous flooding, but about daylight the water was up to the level of the floors, and soon began to come through the cracks. Seeing what was coming the people had taken up all their floor coverings and furniture likely to be damaged, and piled in on top of the tables and beds. The pressure of the flood water underneath the houses was considerable and bulging floors showed that more damage would probably result as the water rose. The families whose homes are flooded include a number of children and several young babies, but they seemed little the worse for the experience.—(PA.) Jl WEATHER CLEARS. FLOOD WATERS RECEDING. CHRISTCHURCH, August 6. The weather cleared about four o’clock this afternoon. The sky is now ■dear and the night is frosty: The floods were at their worst this morning and had begun to recede even before the weather cleared. It was feared -that the high tide at 3 o’clock this afternoon might baek up the waters, causing more damage, but the tide passed without danger. The damage caused by the floods will be discoverable to-morrow, when the waters will have subsided. It will not be calamitous, but will be considerable. City streets in the flooded areas and elsewhere have suffered heavily from the downpour. In the country, little or no trouble was 'Experienced, except at Little River, where a few houses were evacuated and where roads were deeply flooded. No service cars got through to Akaroa to-day, owing to Lake Forsyth having overflowed the road. The Main South Road was flooded at one or two points but service cars got through to time. No announcement has yet been made about the postponement of the trotting races on Saturday, but the track to-day was under a foot of water and it will not be fit for racing on Saturday. The Riccarton tracks carried much surface water, but it is a good wet weather course and will probably ary out to enable the meeting to be held next week.—(P.A.)