SERIOUS FLOODS

Chronicle (Levin), 25 June 1946, Page 5

SERIOUS FLOODS

-Press Association

Three Days' Rain In North Auckland LARGE SLIPS ON R0ADS

By ■ Telegraph—

AUCKLAND, June 24. , The woTSt ffoods experiencecl in North Auckland for many years, have ' followed three days of con4 tinuous h.eavy rain and blustering ■ winds, Large slips came down on the State highway from Auckland to. Whangarei late this afternoon biooking the main routes. The only road remaining open to the north late tonight was that on the east eoast from the Dome V alley through Mangawai Clofge to Waipu. Emergency gangs of workmen will work thro'ughout the night to clear the roads but it is not possible to say wlien they will be open again. ,A large slip cut the main highway at Brynderwyn- late this afternoon and another blocked the alternative route on the old Mghway through Waipu Corgc. It was thought that Ihe Brynderwyn slip would take .at least several days to clear but the one ' in Waipu ' Gorge is considerably smaller. The whole of the north has been inundatcd by heavy rains. From Friday until this morning. 9.45 inchcs fell in Kaikohe while heavy showers were continuing tonight. The floods which have been steadily rising through out th e area, have seriously dislocated | ro'ad transport services. ■ r The bus from Rawene which j was to have connccted with the j southern express at Kaikohe to- j day, was hcld up by four feet oi' j. water on the r.oad to Taheke. i The main railway line is not blocked although flood waters1 delayed the express tonight forj over an hour. Kaeo, the county seat for Whangaroa, is practically cut off : from the south by a huge slip which covered the road a few , miles from the town. This mass 1 of earth fell from the top of a ! eliff and skidded "40 yards across a swamp before comihg to rest on ; Ihe highway. A path was cleared l'ound the slip but only small ears j were ahle to negotiate it. , ! Water rose into the main strect of Kaeo tonight, partially ' flooding some business premises. Slips in three loealities have cut the road to Whangaroa and the town- ' ship is now accessible oqly by sea. 1 Several cars are inarooned he- : tween the slips. The Waitangi River continued to rise today and low lying pas- j ture areas totalling many hundrod j acrcs, are under water. Caltle , were removed to higher ground , before the flood waters came down j although on some farms difficul- 1 ties wero experienced. One farmer in the Hikurangi i swamp was caught by the flood I but his horse was ahle to carry J him to safety by swimming | through the rapidly rising waters. Some valleys in North ern Wairoa are flooded to a depth of 10ft or 12ft. Many trees have -befu. 'hrought down on tlie east e'oast by the gales and ."telephqne coinmuiu-' catioii is inieflfnnf ed:v ?