WIDESPREAD FLOODING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 53, 14 July 1947, Page 5

WIDESPREAD FLOODING

BOROUGH AND COUNTY SUFFER SLIPS IN WAIMANA GORGE SEVEN INCHES OF RAIN Consistently heavy rain on Thursday evening and throughout Friday resulted in widespread flooding in town and county over the weekend. By Sunday however most of the water had subsided and the remaining areas still under cover - lay in the low-lying sections bordering Station Road, which last evening was still' under water and is expected to be seriously scoured. In all over seven iches of rain were recorded in the Borough and slightly over this figure in the county. While severe enough the flood # waters are not reported to have been high enough to invade any dwelling or business premises though in many instances they were lapping at floor level.

The flooding on Friday morning developed into serious proportions when the Maraetotara practically filled the lagoon area at the junction of Douglas Street and Alexander Avenue, where it reached a depth of over two feet and surrounded all the homes in that vicinity. The poultry farm owned by Mr R. Taylor was completely covered, though we understand there were no casualties. Upper and lower Allandale suffered from the same source, the stream-bed being far from adequate to cope with the volume of water from the hills despite its recent deepening. The renewed flooding has aggravated the position presenting the Borough Council with one of its most pressing problems. , Bridge Approaches Flood The secondary borough ' flooding occurred on Friday evening, when the Whakatane River fed by the downpour in the Waimana and Nukuhou counties rose bank high, and then poured over the bridge approaches sweeping up toward Paroa, where it was joined by another tongue of water lapping, up from the west. Both the Rotorua and the Tauranga highways in this vicinity were covered to a depth of 18 inches.

At 11 p.m. the Traffic Inspector

held up all cars endeavouring to use the bridge approaches owing to the swift nature of the current, which was not considered safe to negotiate until the early hours of the morning. In the business section, at approximately .2 a.m. with the tide at its full, the brown waters invaded the Strand, welling up from culverts and drains. Deep pools reached halfway across the main road, but though the water came dangerously near floor level in several shops it failed to penetrate any. Launches Break Away fwo launches anchored in the stream broke away from their moorings. Both were recovered, one by the. action of the owner who, braying the floating logs which were sweeping towards the sea, rowed almost across the harbour to board* the drifting craft and bring her safely back to the shelter 6f the Strand wharf. IN THE COUNTY VALLEY ROAD COVERED Sections of Valley Road were heavily flooded on Friday night,, cutting off all possibility of through, transport in that district, the water lying over the roadway in several places. Several severe slips occurred in the Waimana Gorge and. emergency gangs were employed in. clearing them away, giving freeway, to traffic on Sunday.

At Paroa, on Saturday night the outgoing traffic fouled the waters past Simons corner, -where many came to grief and had to be towed clear. The heaviest flooding occurred at Whakatane West, where the well-known swamp disappeared completely under a sheet of water, until it assumed the appearance of a considerable lake. Station Road was early impassable.

The water failed to stop any road transport on the Tauranga section of the highway.

Surface water lay extensively on the mid-plains but though the Rangitaiki was seribusly swollen it only broke banks at one small section between Edgecymbe and Te Teko, but the break was detected before any damage had been done.

Providing no further rain falls it is anticipated that the bulk of the surface water will have drained clear by this evening. .