Heavy Damage To Roads, Bridges

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31000, 4 March 1966, Page 3

Heavy Damage To Roads, Bridges

CVew Zealand Press Association'

NEW PLYMOUTH, March 3. A freak cloudburst over a wide area east of Hawera on Wednesday has left a trail of damage to roads and bridges estimated at thousands of pounds.

In addition, at least half a dozen families in the Tangahoe valley and Morea road sections of the Hawera county are still isolated, and access to them is unlikely for several days.

Bridges have been washed away and slips and wash-outs cover a wide area. Workmen today began the almost impossible task of cleaning up the wreckage left by the cloudburst, which flooded rivers and streams to more than 30 feet above their normal levels. Hawera county officials have applied to the Ministry of Works for flood relief to repair damaged road communications to the stricken families. Departmental officials are expected to inspect the floodravaged areas tomorrow. When flood waters receded late on Wednesday night hundreds of tons of logs and silt were left lying high above

normal river levels, while still more debris was jammed against bridges and roads giving access to the Tangahoe, Morea and Whakamara areas. Huge wash-outs and slips have completely cut off two sheep farming communities, but access to the dairying community of Whakamara was regained early today when logs and silt were cleared from the Ingahape road bridge to enable milk tankers to carry 3500 gallons of milk from about 25 farms to the Mokoia factory. The flash flood, described as the worst since 1935, may have caused large stock losses. Scores of sheep grazing on the hills when the cloudburst struck are thought to have been swept into the river and its tributaries and drowned. Tons of earth and rock from the hills slid into the river as the rain reached its intensity and stock grazing on land are presumed to have drowned.