FLOOD AFTERMATH

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 58, 21 March 1944, Page 5

FLOOD AFTERMATH

CLEARING UP THE DEBRIS

SCENES IX THE STll.Wn

In the work of cleaning up the borough streets after the / great litter and havoc left by r the flood, the Borough Council \ engaged all available manpower, j and by Saturday evening the main job had been completed. - Lorries and trucks were hired to j expedite the work, andi shop- , keepers who pluckily carried l on j with 'business as usual' were j treated to the unusual' sight 011 > Saturday of the road grader colj lecting, loosening and piling the ■ rubbish together on the Strand, , from where hundreds of yards j were removed by willing bands ; of workers. • Throughout Friday it was a case of 'all hands to the pumps' and it was not devoid of humour to see well known businessmen, stripped of their well-clothed dignity, and 2 Avith bare feet, shorts and singlets L clearing their premises and shovelling the metal aAvay from their door fronts. The sight of two prominent > lawyers AA 7 ith the homeliest of gar- ; den implements, carrying out the essential Avork had also its funnier ; aspect. Fire Engine Assists The Whakatane Volunteer Fire Brigade gave invaluable, assistance by co-operating in the matter of pumping the Avoi\st premises free of water and also assisting in the hosing of buildings affected by silt deposits. In this respect the 1 liquor ccller attached to the Commercial Hotel, Avliieli had lour feet of Avater therein, was pumped dry, while Messrs McLean Motors, where Hit first impact of. the released Waircre Stream Avaters struck, was likewise assisted. In the latter building tlie silt. Avas 6 inches deep and a large gang of men Avere engaged all Friday before, the worst of it Avas. reraoA'ed. 111 Messrs. Mussett and Littlejohn's premises, and the adjoining ones of the Eastern. Bay of Plenty Herd Testing Association, the waters had also left, a carpet of. silt, Avhich however was cleared by the staffs of Hie respective establishments. A Busy Week-end 1 The work of cleaning up the in-, dividual properties and residences continued oA r er the Aveck-end, a pleasing feature being the manner in which those Avho had escaped the Hoods co-operated Avith their less fortunate neighbours. In all parts of the Borough could be found groups of residents assisting ii> 'straightening up' gardens, silt-cov-ered lawns and roadways. Water lay about some of the lower x>ortions of the toAvn until as late ;is yesterday, Avhen it A\as still possible to see large pools and stretches of mud on priAate properties. Hoavever there appears to be little prospect. now of any further rain of serious dimensions, and in most cases householders would welcome a sharp heaA-y shower to clean up the surface mess' as one put it> t]o etf BEACON .representative yesterday. Appreciation Whakatane owes a debt of gratitude to the members of the Borough staff who faced with an unexpected emergency carried out difficult and arduous duties in a manner which deserves the greatest commendation. The Mayor, Mr B. S.» Barry.,* j had some anxious moments and devoted almost the whole of his ( time to emergency matters. t

To the foreman-engineer, Mr W. S. Henderson, must go especial praise for the capable manner in which he met all new developments and 1 organised his staff to cope with them. When the flood was at its height he was here, there and' • where accepting full responsibility and dealing with each eventuality in a. way which won him the greatest admiration. His splendid handling of the sierious Hitlcrest problem was yet another illustration of his ability and control. The disruption would have been of far greater dimensions % had the town not been served in the way it was by its municipal officers, men who worked unremittingly by day and* night, to restore thoroughfares', re-estab-lish the power and water services and generally to correct the damage wrought by the flood. "j-jsisrs