Let’s not be too quick to point the finger of blame for the Wairoa flooding on the state of the river mouth.
What if the primary cause of the flooding was a storm surge? Low pressure, onshore gales and huge waves create storm surges. It is even possible that the river mouth bar minimised some of the storm surge effect.
With global warming, storm surges are becoming more intense and more frequent. Storm surges are much like tidal waves. Nothing can stop the flooding caused by a storm surge.
John Caldwell, Auckland
