HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

January 11-12, 1975
Event type: Snow avalanche.
Precipitation: Stewart (82.6 mm/1 day), January 12, 1975.
Source: The Vancouver Sun, January 13, 1975; The Sentinel, January 15, 1975.
On January 12 at 10 p.m., a snowslide came down onto Highway 16, 10 mi. (16 km) east of Kwinitsa, 7 mi.
(11.2 km) west of the location where an avalanche killed seven people a year earlier. Though the slide was not a very
big one, the road was not reopened until highway crews made sure there were no other slides further west.
Winter storms with coastal gales and whiteout conditions hit Stewart. Continuous snow on January 11-12
added 40-50 in. (1.02-1.27 m) of snow to the approximate 172 in. (4.37 m) on the ground. Because of the extremely
high snowslide potential in the area across the Bear River and at the foot of Mount Rainey, snowmobilers were advised
not to use that eastern end of town. The heavy build-up of snow was to be bombed as soon as flying conditions would
permit.
February 14-23, 1975
Event type: Snow avalanches.
Precipitation: Stewart A (155.8 mm/5 days), February 14-18, 1975; Sewell Inlet (517.2 mm/8 days), February 14-21,
1975; Hartley Bay (133.1 mm/2 days), February 17-18, 1975; Prince Rupert M. Circ (149.9 mm/6 days), February 17-
22, 1975; Falls River (252.8 mm/5 days), February 18-22, 1975; Tasu Sound (357.5 mm/5 days), February 18-22,
1975; Kemano (64.8 mm/1 day), February 21, 1975; Kitimat Townsite (102.1 mm/2 days), February 21-22, 1975;
Kildala (116.8 mm/2 days), February 21-22, 1975; Sandspit A (61.5 mm/2 days), February 21-22, 1975; Terrace (59.9
mm/1 day), February 22, 1975.
Source: The Daily News, February 18, 19, 20, 24 and 25, 1975; B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways 1982.
On February 21-23 in Prince Rupert, winds gusting to 70 mph (112.7 km/h) caused severe damage.
Windows were smashed, signs demolished, and trees downed. The “Col. Saunders” bucket came down and one totem
pole on the Hospital Lookout snapped off and split lengthwise. Digby Island registered gusts of 73 mph (117.5 km/h)
on February 21. On the afternoon of February 21, the Prince Rupert Elementary School had the corner of the roof
blown off. Some 230 students were sent home. A section of the roof of the Prince Rupert Senior Secondary School
Gymnasium was damaged, causing water damage. The Prince Rupert telephone service experienced cable trouble,
affecting about 20 lines.
On February 18, an avalanche at Mile 52.8 closed Highway 16 between Prince Rupert-Terrace. On February
18, the Avalanche Control fired a total of 14 shots at Mile 4.8, 43.57 [?], 47, and 50. The highway reopened on
February 19. An additional 10 in. (25.4 cm) of fresh snow on February 20 caused an avalanche hazard.
Highway 37 to Stewart was closed on February 18 by two slides at the Bear Pass. On February 18 in the
Bear Pass at slide path Lindsay’s at 38.6 km, a freight truck that was stopped by an avalanche deposit was hit by a
second slide. It was partially buried as it was backing away from the first deposit. The truck was pushed off the road
and damaged. The driver was able to free himself from the wreckage. Because of the extreme avalanche hazard, the
road remained closed. On February 24, the road to Stewart reported 60 in. (1.52 m) of fresh snow and the road to
Meziadin, 36 in. (91.4 cm). On February 25, Highway 37 to Meziadin was open with a number of one-lane sections.
April 15-16, 1975
Event type: Snow avalanche and mudslide.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: The Herald, April 16, 1975; J. Mekechuck, pers. comm. 1989. CN Railway, Edmonton, Alta.
On April 15, Highway 16 between Prince Rupert-Terrace was closed for most of the day, by a slide at Mile
52. The slide measured a length of 200 ft. (60 m) and a depth of 30 ft. (9 m).
CNR reported a mudslide in the Bulkley subdivision at Mile 43 west of Smithers.
April 27-28, 1975
Event type: Subaqueous slide and tsunami.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: Northern Sentinel, May 1, 1975; The Vancouver Sun, May 1, 1975; Campbell and Skermer 1975; Murty 1979
(p. 7777); Clague 1989 (p. 82).
On April 27 at 10:00 a.m., a large submarine landslide involving at least 10 million m 3 of material occurred
in the Moon Bay area near the head of Kitimat Arm. The slide took place approximately 53 minutes after the
occurrence of low tide and caused a local tsunami. *1) Following the slide at least two (and possibly three) water
waves were generated and propagated into the connecting bays and channels. The largest wave was estimated to be
8.2 m in range (4.6-m crest plus 3.6 m through). The whole water disturbance lasted about 1 hour.
In Bish Creek and Clio Bay, which are about 8 km from the site of the slide, at least one wave was observed.
Some damage occurred in Bish Creek, and the range at Clio Bay was estimated to be about 6.7 m (Murty 1979). Shore
installations at Kitimat suffered about $600,000 damage (Campbell and Skermer 1975; Clague 1989). According to
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