HIGH WINDS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 85, 12 June 1946, Page 5

HIGH WINDS

GALE STRIKES WHAKATANE SERVICES DISRUPTED •; DAMAGE IN BOROUGH AND COUNTY In common with the rest' of the Bay of Plenty and part of the Waikato, a gale which attained almost hurricane proportions swept the Whakatane Borough and County last Monday. Although more visible damage was done in the Borough, electric power and telegraph lines throughout the whole district suffered extensively, and services in this connection were still ,being restored yesterday. Dam- . age was due wholly to the excessively high wind which prevailed for nearly twelve hours. Commencing at dawn, it rose in velocity, reaching its peak shortly after midday. At 4 p.m. . it commenced to abate and was fairly subdued towards nightfall. One and a half inches of rain during the day and night of Monday were recorded in Whakatane. Telegraph Communications In the Whakatane Borough, the main disruption of services was caused through a power pole in King Street which was blown down and descended across the telephone wires. The power lines short circuited causing the siren to sound. The pole falling over the telephone wires, isolated the town for approximately one and a quarter hours. Although repairs were effected to main and tol lines on Monday, it was 7.15 p.m. before) they were once again in good working order.

A disruption opposite the Harbour Board sheds at the wharf caused the Heads to be cut off from telephone communication for some time during the afternoon. In the County, sub-lines at Edgecumbe, and Te Teko were damaged, and others in the vicinity were wrecked by falling limbs of trees. Several of the lines at Edgecumbe were broken in three and four places where poles came down. Taneatua wires were also in some instances damaged. Electric Power Numbers of areas were cut off from the electric power supply when power lines were brought down by falling poles, or were damaged by trees. At Pekatahi the worst damage was sustained, whilst lines on Maunder’s Road were also wrecked. Both districts are now reconnected. Isolated faults occurred throughout the County, and particularly at Manawahe and Matata; -Awakeri, Edgecumbe and Taneatua did not fare so badly. No damage was reported from Ohope. Additional staff was drawn from Opotiki to help cope with the repair work. In the Borough, a tree on Mr L. -Sisam’s property fell across the power lines, bringing down the main feeder line supplying the whole of Allandale. This occurred at approximately 3 p.m. but no report of the power being off was received until 3.30 p.m. By 4.30 p.m. the circuit was restored. .f Borough and County Some damage occurred in the Borough of Whakatane, where reports have been received of shed roofs lifted, fences blown down, trees uprooted, a window blown in, : shop signs blown down and, in the • case of one local garage and service ; station, the top of a bowser blown .off. In Simpkins Street, a tree was uprooted, whilst in the Strand, at the rear of the Whakatane Hotel, a weeping willow tree was split, and the top blown down. Stacks of timber standing in unsheltered positions also fared badly. Sea spray fell continually on the town area, whilst at the Heads, the crests were blown from the breakers right across the headlands. The concrete retaining wall at the Heads also sustained a further buffeting.

In the County, the main damage . occurred where power and tele~r graph lines were wrecked by falling -trees or branches. Galatea received apparently the least of the gale. Considerable rain fell in the Rotorua area, and the Rotorua road was in an exceptionally bad condition on

Monday night, particularly along the pumice strip, where the surface was gouged out in numbers of places by the amount of water streaming across. The road itself was slippery to the extent where several cars, striking a greasy patch, and assisted by a strong gust of wind were blown to the side. Ohope Beach At Ohope Beach, the water was exceptionally high, and spray was flung well over the sand banks on to the roadway. The vidious pounding of the breakers on the sandhills already gouged out by the high tides cut the bank which was formed still deeper, and the whole level of the beach is now some four and a half feet lower than normal, tapering from the western end to the Post Office store.