Yesterday morning there was strong wind. Later the rain came, and stayed! It rained continuously for 36 hours, and the city’s damaged infrastructure simply couldn’t cope. The Avon and Heathcote Rivers both overflowed and many streets and houses have been flooded.
For various reasons Stephen dropped me in Cambridge Terrace near the Worcester Street Bridge this morning. I thought I’d be fine to walk the few blocks from there to work, but it wasn’t quite that easy.
Avon River between Worcester and Gloucester Streets.
Cambridge Terrace and the riverbank were flooded, so I crossed the Worcester Street Bridge, only to find that the other end of that was flooded too. My only option was to climb along the brick fence, but then I was faced with a deep pool that I had to wade across. Some people were taking off shoes and socks, but I had ankle boots and an umbrella to manage, so I simply rolled up my trousers and waded through to where I could climb onto a low brick wall and walk along it.
This lake is actually the grassy area beside the Scott statue.
The rest of the way to work was wet, but manageable. I put a heater on to dry my boots and socks, and the internet and phones went off. Apparently three bars of the heater was too much for the power board. Luckily it was easily reset, I confined myself to one bar of the heater, and padded around in bare feet for a few hours until my footwear dried out.
By home time the rain had stopped and much of the flooding had subsided. We are lucky that our cottage is on higher ground. Some neighbouring streets had been impassable because of water. In other areas hundreds of houses have been flooded. Many of these are the homes of people still awaiting earthquake repairs and fighting with insurance companies. Having to make yet another claim will surely be too much for some. This week’s flooding is apparently a one in a hundred years event, and I wonder how long it will be till next time.
“The rain came down, and down, and down
and water surged all over town.”
Ruth's Reflections 