THE STORM.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4554, 23 April 1923, Page 2

THE STORM.

HEAVY EASTERLY GALE. COMMUNICATIONS BLOCKED. HIGHEST FLOOD ON RECORD. The heavy easterly gale which commenced on Thursday last preved to be a disastrous oiie for this part of the district. The torrential downpour of Thursd;y and Friday was top great, for tl.e carrying capacity of the rivers Ohinemuri and Waihou, and in consequence what is considered the highest flood, so far as parts of the district are concerned, was reached. It was very evident on Friday that a flood was imminent, and farmers on the low]ring country prepared for it, thus saving any loss of stock. On Saturday morning there were miles of country under water, and practically the whole of the lowlying area from Tirohia to the Puke was one big stretch of water. Communication by rail to Thames Te Aroha, and Waihi was blocked by washouts, while the roads to these places were also blocked by slips an! washouts, and in some cases by the roads being submerged. A washout occurred on the road near Mackaytown, and also on the Waihi side of the gorge, while '•.he road in many places was under water f.o the extent of several feet. On the Thames road a small bridge and also a culvert were wahsed away, and the road has suffered considerably in many places by the heavy flow of water which rushed across it. The Te Aroha road was under water for some miles, and Is still impassable by cars. Temporary repairs were quickly made on the Thames road, and car traffic was resumed on Saturday. The old Rahu Road had ‘■p be taken to go to Waihi, and, although rough, was successfully negotiated on Sunday by three of Messrs Brenan and Co’s, motor cars. An attempt was made by some motorists to get through t.o Te Aroha but this proved disastrous, and the cars were pulled out of the mud with some difficulty. At Hikutaia the heaviest flood ever experienced in the history of the district occurred, the water entering many residences, particularly at the township. The stop-banking that is being carried on undoutbedly affected the height of the flood at the Ngahina bridge, and the places nearby,, while at the Junction Mr W. D. Keys estimated that the flood was 12 inches higher than any previous one, and at the Puke wharf Mr Silcock, of the Northern Steamship Cp. ( states that the water was 15 to 18 inches higher. The high tides which were running no doubt had a great effect on the river, ,aud caused more damage than would otherwise have been the case. Up to yesterday the Awaiti and Netherton districts had not been affected, the stop-banking higher UP the river having proved beneficial. The lower portions of the township suffered more than hitherto, as the water backed up the drains. The damage to roads will be preUy considerable, and coming as it has at the fall of the year, will leave many in a bad state for the winter. The temporary failure of the electric light on Thursday and Friday evenings made the storm appear all the mots dismal. These stoppages of the current were,- however, soon overcome, much to the joy of those who had to depend solely on the juice for light.

ON THE PLAINS. If H. G. Well’s time machine had boon utilised to view the Plains a couple of decades ago their appearance would, in one respect, have bee’i similar to that witnessed during the past week end. During the whole of Friday rain, such as never before has been witnessed, fell, and practically the whole of the country was inundated. At the Lands Department’s gauge at Kerepeehi 6.94> inches were registered for the 24 hours ending 8 a.m. on Saturday. This is almost twice the average monthly fall. Owing to the long spell of fine weather the ground was dry and the drains plastically empty, but the phenomenal fall soon saturated the soil and filled the drains, so that in places the land was submerged fpr miles Paddocks became lakes and those drains which had recently been cleared became torrents. As the tides arc fairly low a*’ present the river has not overflown, but thedirection of flow has not changed since Friday. No rain has fallen since early Sa-t urday morning, and the water from the lower part of the Plains is rapidly getting away, but much water has yet to come down from the upper reaches of the river, so it will be some days before the flood subsides. Comparatively little damage has been reported so far. but. more may be discovered when the waters subside. A couple of chains of the Puhanga Road have slipped into the canal and traffic has had to be diverted until temporary repairs are effected. On the Waitakar.uru-Tahuna road several fillings have teen washed away and slips brought down, but it is doubtful if the road is impassable. A settler on this road is reported to have had about 100 sheep drowned. The Waitakaruru-Pipiroa road was submerged for a considerable distance, and water entered two houses. A great, deal of silt was brought down by the creeks near Kaihere and Pate.tonga and deposited on the land. This,, while causing .temporary damage, will have a beneficial effect. FLOODS, SUBSIDING. The floods in the district are subsiding rapidly, but, as yet it is difficult to estimate the damage done. It is not expected that very serious losses have occurred. The Railway service was resumed this morning, the various washouts on the line between Hikutaia and Mangaitl having been temporarily repaired. The train from Frankton Junction arrived at Paeroa nearly an hour late this morning. The express from Thames reached Paeroa cm time, and although a long and heavy train it was able to resume the journey to Frankton.