25 Years since Cyclone Bola.

[Suezy]

25 years since Cyclone Bola

Posted by wwadmin on Wed, 27/03/2013 - 09:00
Filed in:News
This month is the 25th anniversary since Cyclone Bola hammered eastern areas of the North Island.

Cyclone Bola, one of the most damaging cyclones to hit New Zealand, struck the Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne–East Cape region in March 1988.

The cyclone slowed as it moved over the area, resulting in over three days of torrential rain. Worst affected was the hill country inland from Gisborne, where winds forced warm moist air up and over the hills, augmenting the storm rainfall.
In places, over 900 millimetres of rain fell in 72 hours, and one area had 514 millimetres in just a single day.

The ensuing floods overwhelmed river stopbanks, damaged houses, swept away bridges and sections of roads and railway lines, and destroyed parts of Gisborne’s main water-supply pipeline. Three people died in a car that was swept away by flood waters, and thousands were evacuated from their homes – 3,000 in Gisborne, 300 in Wairoa, and 400 at Te Karaka.

The downpours triggered innumerable landslides on the region’s hillside pastures. Some farmers lost 30% of their grazing area, with landslide scars taking decades to heal. Huge quantities of sediment were dumped into the flood waters. One 11,000-hectare catchment deposited a million tonnes of sediment into the Waipāoa River.
Thick sediment from the ebbing floods smothered pastures, orchards, and crops ready for harvest.

Cyclone Bola was estimated to have cost $90 million in losses to horticulture and farming, and the cost to the government was over $111 million.

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[ato2]

They go on and on and on and on about the East Coast and totally ignore the many millions it cost us in Taranaki  with days of consistently 24/7 powerful winds

[Suezy]

Thanks for you comment Tom and would like to hear more if you could please.

[JennyLeez]

Agreed and there is much written on this.
I think the east coast saw more reporting as the road and rail link from Gisborne to Napier was broken at the time, and remained so for 18 months Long term this cost heaps effecting not only those on the coast.
Those first few days saw our area with no power, no hot water and limited cold water. So I guess this was one of the reasons the focus shifted up this way.

[JennyLeez]

and this is why the road link was lost
Taken early morning 6.26am Tuesday 8th March.

[JennyLeez]

Many years ago Rupert helped me source this. He possibly will not remember. But I get to thank him once again as I post this data.
Lining this up has taken a while. You gotta love BB Code.

Region March 6th  March 7th  March 8th  March 9th  March 10th  Opotiki 5.1 102.2 295.5 121.5 2.0 Waioeka Gorge 0.0 8.0 4.0 2.0 9.0 Wairata, Matawai 0.5 10.7 68.0 23.1 25.0 Ruatoria 8.8 149.1 384.8 57.7 7.2 Te Puia Springs 7.1 174.8 419.4 64.5 37.0 Tokomaru Bay 8.0 143.0 103.0 69.0 49.0 Tologa Bay 10.2 149.8 160.0 250.0 10.0 Te Karaka, Gisborne 6.7 64.4 297.5 0.0 Gisborne Airport 5.8 63.5 156.1 70.0 4.0 Manutuke, Gisborne 4.6 73.6 193.3 57.8 1.9 Eastwood Hill, Gisborne 5.6 77.9 194.4 107.5 2.0 Waingake, Wharerata 35.0 98.8 255.0 217.1 Clonkeen, Morere 0.0 4.0 66.0 190.0 91.0 Pongaroa, Mahia 0.0 0.0 190.6 24.7 0.0 Tuhara Valley, Iwitea 0.0 37.5 113.0 65.0 27.0 Onepoto, Waikaremoana 6.2 121.0 191.1 191.1 15.0 Aniwaniwa, Waikaremoana    6.0 103.2 286.0 382.4 25.0 Kairoa, Pehiri 3.0 46.0 131.8 158.0 21.8 Tuai 6.2 120.2 202.0 169.0 40.0 Erepeti, Ruakituri 5.6 69.5 114.8 135.5 15.4 Pihanga, Ruakituri 4.0 29.3 80.6 51.9 8.5 Mangatawhiti, Ohuka 0.0 60.4 166.4 100.0 14.4 Maungataniwha, Putere 0.0 70.4 135.6 164.0 35.0 Marumaru 0.0 0.0 47.7 89.2 67.3 Clydebank, Frasertown 0.0 34.8 171.0 45.4 1.3 Frasertown, Wairoa 0.8 39.0 118.1 61.2 1.0 Wairoa Hospital 23.3 32.2 91.3 33.5 1.7 Waihua Valley 11.2 68.0 141.0 54.0 4.4 Cricklewood, Wairoa 34.5 50.6 163.6 58.0 1.4 Putorino 7.3 76.0 302.3 183.9 8.4 Tutira 4.4 81.5 319.3 328.6 24.1 Tareha, Tutira 0.0 192.5 201.7 223.0 188.0 Ripia, Tahuwera 0.0 24.9 112.6 93.0 17.9 Te Pohue, Tahuwera 0.0 49.1 190.2 245.7 49.0 Whakarua, Whirinaki 0.0 29.6 20.3 59.3 13.5 Eskdale, Napier 0.0 59.9 133.3 105.7 6.8 Napier City 0.2 38.5 58.5 32.2 1.8 Flag Range, Napier 0.1 32.0 111.1 139.4 19.9 Hastings Airport 1.2 24.0 34.0 35.3 0.0

[bett]

A storm NZ will never forget .. so much water ... such strong winds

[einzack]

i grew up in inland Taranaki and it had a big impact on us as mentioned.
we had our 100 year primary school anniversary that weekend.
suffice to say, most of it was cancelled.
i was only 9 at the time and i remember the wind and rain. made quite an impression on me. our house was very exposed to the wind and i vividly remember sitting at the window watching it for long periods.

i would be interested to see some rainfall totals for some taranaki sites. the wind was the primary thing for us from memory, but it certainly rained too.
some of those east coast totals are amazing.

[ato2]

The wind was a horror along coastal Taranaki- winds of 120km/hr + for over 24 hrs at one stage- roofs vanishing- tin flying through the air-half the trees in our county went, fences were destroyed, cowsheds, hay sheds, power lines causing fires. I understand a wind speed of 103 knots was recorded at Cape Egmont..say around 189 km/hr in the metric. Maui Platform had waves of around 13 metres.

[JennyLeez]

Yep sure were. For us in Wairoa it was not so much the rain that fell over head but the rainfall across the catchment area of around 3,660 km. Most of this soft tertiary rocks, and much of it rugged and forested. The Wairoa River is the drainage basin for this area. Hence the speed of the current and the debris the swollen rivers picked up on their way down into the basin funnel very easily torn out the bridge.

[Rwood]

Must admit I don't recall the context Jenny. Where was the data sourced from?

Re-reading the monthly summary for March 1988, it noted that Tutira's 792mm wasits highest in records going back to 1895, surpassing 1938, and was 671% of the average.

[JennyLeez]

I guess I am easy to forget 

You introduced me to CliFlo and helped me find my way around

[David]

You won't get any memories from me, I wasn't born until 2 and half years later 

Those are certainly some amazing rain totals Jenny, thanks for posting them!

[Suezy]

Thankyou very much every one as know that people have a lot of stories on Cyclone Bola but they are personal stories - not the ones that are reported in the newspapers - but personal ones that are so important and so pleased to hear them. Thank you all and thankyou Jenny for those great photos.

[Rwood]

Must admit I don't recall the context Jenny. Where was the data sourced from?
Re-reading the monthly summary for March 1988, it noted that Tutira's 792mm wasits highest in records going back to 1895, surpassing 1938, and was 671% of the average.
I guess I am easy to forget 

You introduced me to CliFlo and helped me find my way around
[/quote]

Yes, it had to be CliFlo of course - and you're not that easy to forget ...