FLOOD DAMAGE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 54, 7 March 1944, Page 5

FLOOD DAMAGE

GOVERNMENT ACTION DETAILED REPORTS AWAITED In a communication to Mr \V. Sullivan, M.P., the Minister of Works, Hon. R. Semple, states that he has arranged for an inspleicjtioni to be madle 'of 'the, erosion damage arising from the irfelcen]t flood. Thils will be lowed by an aerial and ground! survey upon which the Govcrnmjenit will be guided as to sujtHi sequent action. The following statment is. also forwarded: — As soon as reports were received ol' the: heavy floods in the. AVliaka- < tane area arrangements were made for inspections ol the damage and provision was made for the opening up of acccss to isolated areas as -quickly as possible. The. Inspecting Engineer, Mr Watkinson, ilew up from Wellington and is now in the area collecting information and ar- • ranging for restoration work. No records of. the actual rainfall -are yet available, but. it is apparent from the information received that the rainfall in the head waters of the Whakatane River was the greatest Lhat has ever been experienced. The Rotorua-Waikaremoana Road is completely blocked between Tc Whaiti and Ruataliuna, and the section between Te Whaiti and Alurupara was temporarily blocked owing to the washing out of a bridge. However, this has now been overcome by the construction of a temporary bridge. Gangs arc working in towards Ruataliuna from the Napier end and it is anticipated that access, to Ruataliuna by this me aAs will be "wailable ' within a week. Seventy men are now employed on this work. The section between Te Whaiti and Ruataliuna, however, will be closed for some considerable time, probably 6 months, as about miles of the road is completely gone, as well as -most of the bridges. It is, estimated that it will cost from £30,000 to £10,000 to restore the road between Tc Whaiti and Ruataliuna. In the meantime a usable pack track is available between these two places. All other roads and highways in the Whakatane County are op'Mi for traffic, although at some points traffic will, of course, be limited until the slips are cleared, and the damaged bridges restored. Ln the Whakatane County the estimate of damage to County roods, is between £7000 and £8000,, and, the damage to Main and State Highways in the same area is estimated, to be about £3000. The damage to roads and highways is therefore not as great as was o'riginally anticipated from .the first reports received. It seems fairly obvious from in.spcction so far made that there has been rather extensive damage to pastures, and, manures and grass ..seed will be. required. The Inspecting Engineer and the District Engineer have inspected practically all damaged areas and flown over those areas not accessiblc by road. Further detailed reports will lie received from them in : few days. There has been the utmost co-op-eration between everybody concern-* ed, including the Army and the Air Force. A military bridge, is being forwarded by Army to replace one of the temporary low, level bridges on the road from Te Whaiti to Ruataliuna.