CYCLONIC STORM.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 5070, 31 December 1926, Page 2

CYCLONIC STORM.

RIVERS IN HIGH FLOOD. LITTLE SERIOUS DAMAGE DONE. ’ Christmas, 1926, at Paeroa will long be remembered oil account of the unseasonable. weather experienced. Christmas Eve dawned, dull and cloudy, but fortunately the,re was no heavy rain. On Boxing Day an exceptionally heavy downpour of rain fell, and the storm, which was of a cyclonic nature, ranged from north-east to south east. During Saturday night and early on Sunday morning it became apparent that a rapid rise in the river was inevitable. Reports slowly filtered through to Paeroa about the terrifying experiences of campers at the Waihi Beach, and also of the heavy weather experienced at Waihi township. In fact, although it was fine at Paeroa oil Christmas Eve, it is ’understood .that it rained very heavily at Waihi. OHINEMURI RIVER IN FLOOD. In about 3y 2 hotfrs at Paeroa. early on Sunday morning 1.1 inches of rain was recorded. During the day the Ohinemuri River rose, steadily, and by nightfall it had reached a height of 25ft at the Criterion Bridge. Anticipating a heavy flood, the Public Works Department’s engineering staff assembled a number of workmen, who set to work securing punts, timber* and other floatable gear. As a result of these precautions the department lost very little gear. The temporary staging and bridge-erect-ing appliances at the new fridge site withstood the strain of the. flood waters and no damage resulted. At the Puke, where the Waihou River was also in high flood, an anxious time was spent by the Public Works Department’s staff. The volume of water which came through the Ngararahi Canal from the upper reaches o'f the Waihou River backed up thq flooded waters at the old ■Ohinemuri River meander, with the result that the. Northern Steam Ship Company’s old wharfsheds "were inundated to a depth o»f several feet. Flood waters also entered one corner of the Ngahina wharfshed, but no damage resulted as the cargo there had been stacked bn grills above water level. The extraordinary pait of the flood i<as the, length o'f time that the high flow o'f water kept up. This was accounted for by the large volume of water which came down from upcountry. WITHIN THE BOROUGH. Although the storm and electrical disturbance was felt severely within the borough no serious damage has been 'reported. The. widening and, deepening of the main outfall drain from Thames Road to the river allowed the phenomenal volume of local storm water to be coped with. The heavy rain has played havoc with gardens, and the early fruit has been considerably damaged. During the height of the storm local telephonic communication was temporarily disorganised in some circuits, bul this was speedily rectified with a minimum of inconvenience to subscribers. The s.s. Taniwha ran to time-table, as also did the trains. What has now become a common occurrence with easterly gales is the inundation o'f the low-lying portions of the Paeroa-Waihi road near the abattoirs and again near Mi- G. Buchanan’s main gate.. On Sunday several cars proceeding from Waihi to Paeroa were held up for a few hours near the abattoirs, while two motor vehicles proceeding from Paeroa to the Waihi Beach were towed through ,the flood from, a point near Mr C. H. Vincent's property to the higher ground on the Waihi side of'Mr Buchanan’s property. The Paeroa-Te Aroha road was inundated at several places between Tirohia and Waitoki, but after a brief wait traffic was able to get through.