HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

days. *4) In the Rennell Sound area, two distinct 12-hour periods of intense rainfall (120 mm and 110 mm) were
recorded. Maximum average hourly wind speeds were reached during periods of heaviest rainfall. Some 264 mass
movements were recorded: 126 in clearcuts, 113 in forested terrain, and 25 from roads. The area distributed by debris
avalanches was 64 ha or 0.4% of the steep land area (Schwab 1983). Many slides were reported in the areas of Sewell
Inlet, Tangell Peninsula, and Dana Passage and on Talunkwan and Lyell islands. On Talunkwan Island, 14 new
failures occurred on the south side and 17 new failures on the north side. On Lyell Island, six new failures occurred in
logged area (B.C. Ministry of Forests).
A B.C. Forest Service draft working paper completed in February 1979 stated that logging on steep hills
causes slides and massive soil erosion. This directly contradicted official statements by the B.C. Forest Service that the
danger of slides in the area was minimal. The report stated that 71 slides had occurred in logged zones near Rennell
Sound since February 1978. The average area of each slide was 840 m 2 . One slide wiped out a 73,566-m 2 section,
temporarily damming a stream. (Daily Colonist, March 21 and 22, 1979)
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*1) The highest lake level known was 74.37 m in 1935; the Ministry of Environment’s recommended flood
construction level is 74.98 m (246 ft.) (McMullen et al. 1979).
* 2) The highest instantaneous discharge on record with 28,500 cfs (807 m 3 /s) occurred on October 15, 1974
(McMullen et al. 1979).
*3) On the west coast of Graham Island in the Rennell Sound area, a number of slides occurred in QC Timber’s
Cutting Permit (CP) 144. In January 1979, the federal Department of Fisheries ordered QC Timber to stop logging.
Two months later when logging was resumed, fisheries officers arrested loggers working in CP 144. Over the next
several months charges were laid and dropped and QC Timber was found not guilty. In the fall of 1979, after a series
of heavy storms, more landslides occurred. The many slides that occurred on the Queen Charlotte Islands eventually
initiated a multi-year program to study the problem of landslides related to logging practices. The program set up
jointly by the B.C. Ministry of Environment, the B.C. Ministry of Forests, and the Canada Department of Fisheries and
Oceans, was dubbed the Fish/Forest Interaction Program (FFIP) (Johnson 1984).
*4) The Gospel Point climatological station, Air Studies Branch, B.C. Ministry of Environment, was established on
May 4, 1976. It is situated 12 m above sea level on a gentle west-facing slope (Schwab 1983).
November 4-7, 1978
Event type: Flooding.
Precipitation: Sewell Inlet (163.1 mm/2 days), November 4-5. 1978; Hartley Bay (168.4 mm/2 days), November 4-5,
1978; Kemano (114.1 mm/2 days), November 4-5, 1978; Tasu Sound (194.3 mm/2 days), November 4-5, 1978;
Kitimat 2 (206.6 mm/3 days), November 4-6, 1978; Prince Rupert M. Circ (207.7 mm/3 days), November 4-6, 1978;
Kitimat Townsite (110.0 mm/1 day), November 5, 1978; Kildala (132.8 mm/2 days), November 5-6, 1978; Prince
Rupert (102.2 mm/2 days), November 5-6, 1978; Langara (80.1 mm/2 days), November 5-6, 1978; Terrace (76.8 mm/2
days), November 5-6, 1978; Stewart A (66.8 mm/2 days), November 5-6, 1978; Salvus Camp (146.8 mm/2 days),
November 5-6, 1978; Ocean Falls (261.8 mm/3 days), November 5-7, 1978; Bella Coola (119.2 mm/3 days),
November 5-7, 1978.
Source: Northern Sentinel, November 9, 1978; Southeast Alaska Empire, November 7, 1978; Daily Colonist, March 2,
1979; B.C. Ministry of Transportation, Communications and Highways 1980 (p. 301); Files, B.C. Ministry of
Transportation and Highways, Terrace.
On November 6, Terrace reported 55.8 mm of mixed rain and snow. In total Terrace had 12 in. (315 mm) of
rain in one week. Several areas were flooded a second time in a week. The Lakelse Lake and Old Remo were the
areas worst hit with flooding. Heavy damage was done to the spawning streams flowing into the Skeena River.
Hardest hit were the pink and chum salmon. Dozens of houses were standing in the lake in some 6 ft. (1.8 m) of water.
On Highway 16 west of Terrace, Andesite Creek sustained minor shoulder washouts on November 6.
The local economy was severely disrupted by the flooding and loss of communication links. Many
businesses cut back their operations or shut down altogether. Though logging operations shut down, the sawmills were
able to continue shipping lumber. However because of the shortage of natural gas, the lumber could not be dried and
had to be shipped green. With the cut rail connection east of Terrace, the lumber had to be sent by sea from Prince
Rupert. Given the lower price for green rather than dried lumber and the higher costs for the alternative shipping route,
the companies lost an estimated half million dollars (Scanlon and Taylor 1979).
In a special meeting of the provincial cabinet, Terrace-Kitimat region was declared a disaster area. Federal
and provincial aid was made available. On November 7, more than 150 men and 100 pieces of equipment were
mobilised to repair the flood damage. Skeena MLA Cyril Shelford estimated the repair costs to highways at $15
million. A total of 19 major bridges had been destroyed in the district. The estimated damage to the four Skeena
bridges alone was $1.5 million. Highway crews from Cloverdale, Langford, and Courtenay were brought in with pipe,
culvert material, and Bailey bridges. The regular ferry to Prince Rupert was commandeered and loaded with supplies.
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