Former Weber farmer Forbes Cameron at his Pohangina Valley farm, which bore the brunt of the February 2004 flooding. Mr Cameron is sitting on the top rail of his stock yards. Photo/Christine McKay
Former Weber farmer Forbes Cameron at his Pohangina Valley farm, which bore the brunt of the February 2004 flooding. Mr Cameron is sitting on the top rail of his stock yards. Photo/Christine McKay
A NIGHT of torrential rain had washed out roads, swept away bridges and left the district under water. But it was 6am and my editor was waiting for me at the Dannevirke News - this was no time for a sub-editor to stay dry and warm.
There was nothing forit but to call in reinforcements. Volunteers from the Dannevirke fire brigade saw me safely over the washed-out Black Creek bridge on Laws Rd.
Terrified, I held grimly to the only safe piece of the bridge, while beneath me the creek had turned into a churning torrent. As my husband watched from the other side, the firemen made sure I shuffled along the edge of the bridge to safety - one gallant firefighter even carried my handbag.
Editor Sue Emeny was not able to drive down the flooded Laws Rd to pick me up, so I clambered into the fire engine for the ride up the road to State Highway 2 where she waited.
The skies were grey and grim, farmland all around was under water and, throughout, the Tararua homes were flooded, cow sheds were under water, stock had been swept away, the Fonterra milk train was on its side at Oringi and hillsides had slid into rivers.
Dannevirke was cut off from Manawatu with the Manawatu Gorge closed, the Pahiatua Track impassable and the Saddle Rd closed when the Ashhurst Bridge collapsed, severing the main gas line to the Hawke's Bay.
Farmers throughout the region struggled to get their stock to high ground, many facing inevitable animal losses as flood waters continued to rise.
But we had a paper to put to bed, even though our photographer was up a creek without his camera, stranded by the storm waters.
