MUCH DEVASTATION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 February 1940, Page 6

MUCH DEVASTATION

STORM DAMAGE IN WANGANUI RIVER ROAD BADLY BLOCKED. SETTLERS ISOLATED BEYOND RAETIHI. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WANGANUI. This Day. Estimates of the damage caused by Saturday's rain and Sunday’s floods show much costly repair work ahead in Wanganui. It is estimated that it may take at least a month to repair the damage io the New Zealand Refrigerating Company’s conveyor jetty at Imlay, which was damaged early on Sunday when it was struck by the Wanganui Gravel Company’s runaway barge and subsided later in the day when a gap of 100 feet was left. Meantime, it will be impossible to do any lightering from the works and meat for overseas will have to be railed to either Wellington or New Plymouth. The superintendent of reserves, Mr S. I. Cox, said today that many valuable trees and plants in the riverside esplanade had been ruined, the milelong reserve being covered in silt, in some places five feet deep, while deep channels had been scored in the pathways.

Damage had also been done at Aramoho Park, particularly to the paths along the river bank, which have been buried and will have to be remade. Two feet of silt has been deposited in the southern portion of the motor camp. The whole of the gardens on the river front near the town bridge have been obliterated.

Engineers of the Public Works Department are unable to estimate the damage to the Wanganui River Road, which is badly blocked north of Atene. Fillings are said to have been washed away and there are many slips.

Mr J. D.- Lilburn. Drysdale, lost valuable stud sheep. More than 100 settlers were isolated from Raetihi when the Manganui-o-te-oa Bridge was washed away. Much damage was caused to roads and bridges in the Ruatiti and Mangatiti districts. More than six inches of rain were recorded in Raetihi between early on Friday night to late on Saturday. From 9 a.m. on Saturday till the rain slopped -at midnight the fall was 407 inches.