HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

hat as a scoop, he managed to reach the surface. The sole newspaper account, listing the depth of burial as 20 ft. (6 m)
is without doubt an exaggeration. A reasonable guess would put the victim’s head at 5-6 ft. (1.5-1.8 m) below the
surface (Williams and Armstrong 1984).
April 9, 1976
Event type: Spring runoff flooding.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: The Interior News, April 14, 1976.
On April 9, spring runoff caused flooding near Smithers. Backyards on King Street were flooded with 6 in.
(15 cm) of water. The double culverts at the top of “Suicide Corner,” the S-curve on Highway 16 east of the Northern
Training Centre, could not handle the spring runoff. A water course, 5 in. (12.5 cm) deep and 50 ft. (15 m) long,
flowed across the highway at the bottom of the hill. Only some shoulder damage occurred. *1)
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*1) It was the second year in a row that this spot flooded. To end the problem, the Highways Department considered
installing a culvert.
April 30-May 14, 1976
Event type: Spring runoff flooding.
Source: The Interior News, May 5 and 19, 1976; The Vancouver Sun, May 7, 1976; The Province, May 13 and 14, 1976.
Near Smithers, record breaking temperatures and spring runoff caused small creeks to overflow their banks. On
April 30, Bigelow Creek flooded the parking area and storage yard of Smithers Concrete Products. On May 5, high water
levels caused a washout on the CNR line 12 mi. (19.2 km) east of Endako. After a nine-day disruption service was restored
on May 14.
Heavy rain, frost-free nights and a large snow pack in the Nechako drainage area caused a heavy runoff. On May
6, the Nechako River rose 5 ft. (1.5 m). Overnight May 6-7, the level remained steady. Though the river was some 5 ft. (1.5
m) above normal, it was still 2 ft. (60 cm) below flood level. Roads in the district washed out, cutting off some local
residents.
Overnight May 12-13, The Fraser River at Prince George rose 3 in. (7.5 cm) bringing it above the 30-ft. flood
warning level. Though it was still rising, the level was still more than 4 ft. (1.2 m) below the record levels set in 1972.
On May 12, in Vanderhoof and Burns Lake floodwaters were receding. Late on May 11, the Nechako River in
Vanderhoof dropped about 3 in. (7.5 cm). In some low-lying areas, a few houses had flooded basements with water inching
into yards and moving up city streets.
On May 14, with a surge of cooler weather threats of serious flooding in central British Columbia lessened. Water
levels on the McGregor, Bowron and Salmon rivers were all dropping.
August 25, 1976
Event type: Mudslide.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: The Vancouver Sun, August 25, 1976.
On August 21, a 0.25-mi. (400 m) long mudslide along 95-Mile Road blocked a dead-end road at the Halfway
River, 13 mi. (20.8 km) west of the Alaska Highway and 45 mi. (72 km) northwest of Fort St. John. Rainfall totaling more
than 40 mm during the previous week loosened over 1 million yd. 3 (764,600 m 3 ) of mud. A total of 75 people, including 25
families on the Halfway Indian Reserve and two ranch families, were isolated. The highways department repaired an
abandoned oil drilling road to by-pass the slide. The continuous rain played havoc with local transportation in the Peace
River area with its many dirt roads.
September 2-4, 1976
Event type: Debris slide.
Precipitation: Hartley Bay (128.5 mm/2 days), September 2-3, 1976; Prince Rupert M. Circ (68.3 mm/3 days),
September 2-4, 1976; Terrace (15.2 mm/1 day), September 3, 1976.
Source: The Daily News, September 14, 1976; File M 51-653-186122 Galloway Rapids. B.C. Ministry of
Transportation and Highways, Terrace.
Around September 5, a debris slide occurred on Highway 16, 1,500 ft. (450 m) east of the Galloway Rapids
bridge. The slide was still being cleared on September 10.
October 25-28, 1976
Event type: Debris slides.
Precipitation: Sewell Inlet (230.1 mm/2 days), October 25-26, 1976; Falls River (164.9 mm/2 days), October 25-26,
1976; Prince Rupert (153.7 mm/3 days), October 25-27, 1976; Tasu Sound (281.1 mm/5 days), October 25-29, 1976;
Kildala (117.1 mm/1 day), October 25-29, 1976; Nass Camp (75.2 mm/1 day), October 26, 1976; Cape St. James (44.7
mm/1 day), October 26, 1976; Prince Rupert M. Circ (31.3 mm/1 day), October 26, 1976; Terrace (94.2 mm/2 days),
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