Young Man Drowned; Gisborne and Wairoa Marooned

Chronicle (Levin), 15 May 1948, Page 4

Young Man Drowned; Gisborne and Wairoa Marooned

i 1 ■ press Association) ^

(Per

GISBORNE, May 14. , Exceptionally heavy rain driven "far inlahd by'the raging gale during the past 48 liours.produced conditions almost unparalleled ,in Gisborne 's fiood history today when the Waipaoa River broke its -baiiks at poihfs along the lower reaches aird inundated a considerable portion of the lands behind the town. All district rivers and streams are running Avell over their banks and stormwater has covered a large area in those parts of the flats which were not invaded by the Waipaoa River overflow. Highways out of the district except to the eoast were blocked this morning at points within five miles of- Gisborne and telephone circuits are so seriously damaged that communication with evei liearby coiuitry centres was almost impossible this m.orning. Conditions on the Gisborne fiat lands reached their worst about midday when the peak of the flood, which passed Tekaraka about 8.30 a.m., reached the Waerengaahika area and piled up over the stopbanks to extend eonsiderably the area Uiider water, TLic (iftpvnnnn r'nntinnous After insnectine' the damaee

sheets of water stretehed across the flats from the neiglibourhood of the Makaraka cemetery to Manutuke with the rising ground Gompletely isolated and the main highways blocked to almost all l'orms of traffic. For the first tinie in many years the floodwaters encroached into the Te Ilapa«a area. Holises adjacent the highway between the l'oad and Ihe normal bed of the Tamheru River are standing a foot and more'deep in comparatively still water and ihe land in that vicinity is flooded deeply. The overflow from the Waipaoa had flowed into the Taruheru riverbed bloeking practically ali traffic. In the lower-lying land in the neighbourhood the water was well over 5 t'eet and one family evacuated from this area had lei't their liome with 18 inehes of water running' through it although the housc itself is blocked up four feet above ground level. This morning the aerodrome was serviceable, but by midday it was a sheet of water inehes deep and may not be open till Monday. Many settlers in various parts of the district were rescued by boats, but Iosses of stock are reportcd to be heavy. With water lying on the railway line between Muriwai and Matawhero the railcar was unahle to get through to Gisborne today and turned back to Wairoa. After tiirning back from Muriwai the railcar was reported to have been stopped between Muriwai and the beaeh loop. by slips. The railway liiie Will not be clear for two days. A young man thought to belong to the Hawke*s Bay district was drfiWUed at Whatautau this morning when endeavouring to cross a flooded stfeam. He was Russell Willis, aged 22, employed by the East Coast Oommission. Accompanied by another young man working on the same station Willis was swept away, but his companion managed to struggle ashore. A spectacular rescue of the" ilharooned 'family, Mr. J. J. Fleteher, his Wife and child, who spent all night on top of their hoffie at Piilia, was effected late this morning by a Maori, Have Tautau. With a light line attached to his waist. he swam 60 yards throitgh swirling currents and pulled over a makeshift raft on which the family and their rescuer were hattled back to safety. The flood at its peak was 31 feet above normal level and five feet higier than the 1944 inundation. The severest damage in Gisborne during the storm of the past two days was done to a threeroomed house in Andrews Street, Te Hapar&, owned by Mr. Frank Green. At 6.30 o'clock in the morning almost a hitJTieane on a uarrow front swept along Andrews Street, blew over one house, shifted another and took sheets of iron and tiles off other roofs. Mr. Green 's house,- built only 6 months ago, was lifted complete with concrete piles and finished on its side in the next door section about 30 yards away. The Occupants had an almost miraculons escape, Mrs. Green and her two children being alone in the house. A heavy wardrobe capsized across Mrs. Green 's bed. After strnggling out from Itnder the -wardrobe atid climbing over the dehris Mrs. Green found her four-yenr-old daughter Waildering round outside the h.olise. The small child 's back bore many scratches and apparently she had been thrown through a window. The small boy sleeping in the same room was still in bed in wbat was left of the house and he was almost tmothered in the blankets.

caused by the wind and flood the •Mayor (Mr, N. H. Bull) annouhced°that h'e was communicating with the member for the district (Mr. 1). W. Colemali) requestiug him to nndertake all steps necessary for establishing a Government flood relief fund for Gisborne. Mr. Coleman is expectcd in Gisborne on 'Monday and has promised his assistance.