BUILDINGS DAMAGED

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31116, 20 July 1966, Page 1

BUILDINGS DAMAGED

(A’.Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND, July 19. Gales which lashed the Thames Valley area throughout the day caused widespread damage to buildings and disrupted electric power and telephone communications. Outbuildings and hay barns on farms were the hardest hit. Thousands of bales of hay were exposed to steady, driving rain when hay barns were wrecked.

A large tree crashed across State highway 2 at Netherton, four miles north of Paeroa, this afternoon. The roof of St. George’s Anglican Church was seen flapping in the strong wind. Maintenance staff from the nearby Thames Hospital, together with other volunteers, were able to lash the 150 foot roof to the building before the wind could take the roof away. Nearby streets were closed and the hospital car park was cleared during the roof rescue operations.

In Paeroa, the roof of a large shed in a timber yard was lifted high into the air, carried over another shed, a large joinery factory, then across a street to be deposited in a tangled mass on a railway embankment more than 200 yards away.

In crashing to the ground, the flying roof brought down power, telephone, and railway communication lines and poles.

Te Aroha experienced one of the worst gales for many years with the wind showing no sign of abating tonight A number of garages and fences were blown over, and a steel door on a business premises was blown in. At Te Aroha College a heavy gust blew the roof off the changing rooms and the school baths and a bus shed collapsed. In the Piako County trees

were down in many places, and Thames Valley Electric Power Board linesmen were kept busy restoring power. Rain Continues Torrential rains and 45 m.p.h. winds which have been lashing Waikato for many hours are continuing. Rivers in most areas .are several feet above normal and floods are expected if the rain continues. Trees and buildings have been blown over by strong winds in the Hamilton area and several power lines have been brought down. The Ngahinepouri and Huntly areas have been badly hit and numerous lines are down between Piako and Maramarua.

Gangs of men from Hamilton were restoring lines tonight. A telephone pole was blown over the power lines near the Huntly Maternity Hospital and set off the automatic fire alarm at the hospital. Telephone communications were severely disrupted, and the circuits linking Hamilton with Taumaranui, Te Kuiti, Putaruru, Taupo, Napier, and Otorohanga were lost this afternoon. Mangakino was isolated and all the power in Te Kuiti stopped. But the stand-by power plant was in operation and the main links to south were open. Rivers Up I The Waikato river at Rangiriri was 4ft above normal in the afternoon, and 'at Ngaruawahia about 6ft. The Waipa river is 10ft above normal at Pirongia and sft at Otorohanga. The Waikato Valley Authority warned farmers to take normal precautions and move stock to higher levels. Rivers were rising rapidly. Gales, and heavy rain disrupted electricity supply to widespread areas in the King Country.

The engineer-in-charge of the King Country Power Board (Mr N. Sanders) said the storm was the worst and most damaging in his experience. Power Faults Supply faults occurred at National Park, Owhango, Ongarue and Matiere. In the Owhango area there was no electric power this afternoon and farmers had to milk by hand. Repair gangs were out in force but the interruption in communications was also making it difficult to locate many faults. Power lines between National Park and Turangi were among those damaged.