The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), Wednesday 27 January 1971, Page 1, 3
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The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), Wednesday 27 January 1971, page 1, 3 SSING IN STORM Flash flood in Woden Valley By Staff Reporters A 12-year-old girl was drowned and at least four other people were missing early today after torrential rain caused flash in the Woden Valley. of cars were victims of the flash flood at the intersection of the Yarra Glen and Melrose Drive. — National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110451414 A tow truck, left, stands by on the ramp leading from the Carruthers Street bridge'.while cars are swept down right, following the by flood waters on the Yarra Glen, flash flood in the Woden Valley last night. floodwaters, in the by deep mainly Police pulled about 60 cars from Yarra Glen-Cotter Road area, and flooded sections of road. is many were stranded. Several cars Among the people reported missing disappeared into stormwater drains an 18-year-old trainee nurse, is believed have been re and Yarralumla Creek after their who to turning to her home from Canberra owners had narrow from had escapes Hospital. being swept away with them. Early this morning 50 police, assisted Civil Defence volunteers, fire brigade, According to one report a car with by tow-truck operators and civiiians were five children was swept away when a for stranded motorists herself it, searching the area woman, able to free from had child and for bodies. been unable to do the same for the At that time the confirmed-missing list ren. stood at four people. Unofficial reports put the figure missing The Woden Valley entrances were at 12 but communications were disrupted closed off by police roadblocks soon after and some people may not have reported the water began to rise. that they were safe. Civil Defence units were prevented Lightning blew a hole in the roof of from searching the Scrivener Dam area be at least one house. cause the sluice gates had been opened to It also disrupted power supplies at 10 release a torrent of water. different areas of Canberra. Some were Police had no further information this without for to an hour. power up all still morning as available policemen were all morning as available policemen were in the area and had not made their reports. Swept off feet of the At the height out of the car, but had flooding a policeman been unable to get the children out said was swept bodily They three of the 200yd along Yarra they thought children were her own. Glen. He said the water At the same intersection, had been at least 5ft police and bystanders deep in. parts knd the formed a human chain to rescue five people current so strbng that clinging to lamp-posts. keeping in with contact On the Cotter Road, it the ground was im near Curtin, where possible. He had seen crosses Yarralumla CreeK, chain was at least two other another human formed to rescue Mr in the same people pre Michael Latimer, 28, ot dicament. Fry Place, Weston, who had been found clinging to All available police the bridge railing. vehicles were sent to Yarra His car had been swept Glen and the Woden area into the creek and he had generally and road-blocks leapt clear at the last Street were set up at Kent moment. traffic turn-off to divert A few minutes earlier it. along Mr Frank Cervo, 26, of The worst-affected area Santalum Street, Rivett, on Yarra Glen appeared had leapt clear of his car to be the section between at the same place when he Carruthers Street overpass had felt it "going" with the at Curtin and the intersec floodwaters. tion of Yarra Glen with He and several others, Melrose and Yamba including police, formed a Drives. human chain and tried to It was on this section save Mr Latimer. crucial that at least three cars At the moment railing were swept bodily away the to which be was collapsed. by the water. Eyewitnesses clinging said they had seen "quite Constable Harrison, one of attached a a few" others floating the chain, down. Yarra Glen toward safety-reel line to himself Curtin. ' and jumped into the water. At least another dozen„„ He saved Mr Latimer. police were stranded, stalled, Volunteers and along the median strip. At the Yarra Glen Yamba Drive intersection a car containing five child ren was reported to have been swept off - the iroad and down Yarra Glen. Unable to get children out Bystanders said a wo man whom reporters saw at the scene, shocked and unable to answer ques tions had somehow got out of the but had was embedded in the sand upside down, but police later traced the owner who was unharmed. still Inquiries were being made about the other two cars. Police could not con firm last night that any other people had been drowned but searchers on the spot were not op timistic. It is possible, how ever, that other people swept away by the torrent managed to scramble out 1 and go home. ACT police pulled about 60 cars from the flood at the Yarra Glen, Yamba Drive and Melrose Drive intersection, where a storm water drain overflowed and 5ft of water covered the road. Some cars had become The section of the Yarra Glen bogged as they tried to turn around and others worst affected by. the flash flood. were wedged in between bogged cars and could not move. Constable Jeff who was Brown, The water pouring over nearly a victim himself during grid rails 18in. to 2ft high, the search. spread over an area 100ft wide, prevented the cars from continuing on their way. spent much of the evening searching stormwater chan A Canberra woman who nels along Yarra Glen was driving her car close which lead into Yarra-. to the Carruthers Street lumla Creek. overpass when the floods struck said that her car At 9pm Canberra pol "just began to float away". ice called in the Civil De She said fence which began a sys she stayed tematic search beginning with her car until the at the mouth of the creek engine cut and then it. where it meets the Mol abandoned onglo River, and at Car She waded through water ruthers Street. up to her thighs and finally shelter, in another Two Civil Defence took car on slightly higher parties then began to work which was toward each other wading ground occupied through deep mud and had by two men. planned to meet at Mc Police said later that Culloch Street. cars which had been aban doned at points throughout One hundred yards on the Woden Valley low ly the south side of McCul ing areas had been recov loch Street, which passes ered police tow trucks over Yarralumla Creek, a by and could collected Civil Defence searcher be by their owners the police spotted the body of the at security 12-year-old girl. yard at Fyshwick. of 3. During the search Continued on Page Yarralumla Creek at least three cars were found al most submerged. One car was embedded in the sand Continued from Page 1. a car was reported to have been floating in 6ft of Several parts of the city water in a garage. including were blacked out, In Tompson Street, Gar the Forrest Fire Station, ran, Mrs Pam Groeneveld spotlight which used a on said she had to bail 2ft of an extension ladder to water from her basement iluminate the switchboard. flat. Every fire appliance in Mr L. E. Gibson, of Canberra was on the road Beasley. Street, Farrer, at the ight of the storm said that his home was when power points 10 built next to a footpath different places short underpass which had circuited. turned into a raging mass Police at the Yarra Glen of water. 2ft Melrose Drive intersection Almost had poured said that there had been through the house. cal'J saying some passeng ers in a car had not arrived home and some cars had not been claimed, but there was no certainty that the missing people were in danger. The Department of Works was called out to attend to maintenance in the Yarra Glen, Belconnen and Woolshcd Creek areas. Heavy equipment was called out at 11pm to re move trees which had fallen across roadways. One fell in Yamba Drive, causing a traffic jam. In Denis Street, Garran, lightning struck the roof of a house, breaking sev eral tiles. The house holders, Mr J. O'Dowd, said he had replaced the tiles and the damage had been slight. In Waldock Street, Chif ley, a 3ft by 20ft Besser brick garden wall collapsed as water swept from a neighbouring property. In Bcasley Street, Far rer, cars which were 400 banked up for 300 to yards, attempted to drive through 3 ft of water. In Gouger Street, Tor said rens, Mr W. Thomas he had seen garbage cans, a bicycle and a billy-cart swept down the street. Eight inches of water cov ered his backyard. In Lambrigg Street, Far rer, Mr B. Coogan said his newly built study was in undated with 4ft of water. In Waite Street, Farrer,.