HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

1984; Kemano (98.0 mm/2 days), November 21-22, 1984; Kildala (108.2 mm/2 days), November 21-22, 1984;
Sandspit A (37.2 mm/1 day), November 22, 1984; Terrace (82.6 mm/1 day), November 22, 1984.
Source: The Daily News, November 22, 1984; Times Colonist, November 23, 1984; The Vancouver Sun, May 30,
1985; File M51-651-18212-25.00, Cannery Road Stability Investigations. B.C. Ministry of Transportation and
Highways, Terrace; Al Cowan, pers. comm. Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans, Queen Charlotte City.
Overnight November 21-22, Prince Rupert recorded 42 mm of rain and winds of 60-110 km/h. The storm
with gusts up to 105 km/h caused power outages in Port Edward and Port Simpson and Metlakatla. In Prince Rupert,
powerlines were knocked down, signs were torn off buildings, and at the Prince Rupert Yacht Club’s wharves were
torn away. The transmitter of local radio station CHTK on Digby Island went off the air. A partially completed garage
was blown off its foundations. A shed from a rental outfit was badly damaged and blown onto the first ramp of the
fisherman’s Co-op dock. The stormy weather forced the cancellation of the Rivtow Straits Ltd. barge to the Queen
Charlotte Islands. According to George Blakey, supervisor at the Terrace weather station, a storm this size happens
once every four years.
Near Port Edward on the Cannery Road, approximately 200 m south of the Cannery Road fill failure, a
debris slide occurred. It measured a length of 20 m, a width of 6 m, and a depth of 3 m. The debris extended upslope
of the road to the downhill side of the road fill, blocking the road traffic. Muddy water was ponded from the ditch to
the guardrail. The debris was cleared by a front-end loader.
South of Rosswood, a section of the new Kalum Lake road split, one lane sliding into the lake. *1) The
section of highway, locally known as the “Stanley slide,” was built on an unstable slope. According to Bill Allen, the
Ministry of Highways senior information officer in Victoria, the slide was caused by “exceptionally heavy rains in
October and November” before the road had stabilised. Dan Doyle, Regional Director for Highways, estimated the
repair cost at $300,000 (The Vancouver Sun, May 30, 1985).
On the Queen Charlotte Islands in the upper headwaters of Landric Creek, eight debris avalanches occurred.
The slides, all in the 500-1,000 yd. 3 (382-765 m 3 ) size class, are described in detail by Doug Swanson in a confidential
report commissioned by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
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*1) Two days after the new 52-km, $11 million road was officially opened, sections along a 2-km stretch had begun to
develop cracks (B. Holden In: The Vancouver Sun, May 30, 1985).
December 23-28, 1984
Event type: Icejam flooding.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: The Interior News, January 2, 1985; The Daily News, December 27 and 28, 1984; Dr. A.S. Gottesfeld, pers.
comm. June 1, 1994.
An icejam on the Bulkley River near Quick, between Smithers-Houston, caused flooding near the Quick
bridge. On December 23, the water started rising near the Dave Gillespie residence, the lowest spot on the floodplain
near the bridge. The 63-year-old Quick bridge itself was not endangered. Though one abutment is situated in the
middle of the river, the structure is buttressed by piles driven into the river bottom bedrock. By Christmas Eve the
water reached a depth of 2 m. According to Larry Garinger, field engineer with the Water Management Branch,
anchor ice had formed on the bottom of the river. *1) Due to a long cold spell most of the channel was occupied by ice
frozen to the bottom. Though the discharge was low, overbank flow occurred. Floating ice damaged and removed
small fruit trees with diameters to about 6 cm on the floodplain near the bridge (Gottesfeld, pers. comm.). The ice
stretched for about 12 km south from the Telkwa bridge. Ten families living on the floodplain adjacent to the bridge
were evacuated on Christmas Day. When the flooding subsided, seven families returned to their homes. The waters
rose and receded several times.
On December 27, the situation was more threatening than before. The water rose to a depth of more than 2
ft. (60 cm) in 10-15 minutes where Quick Road crosses the railroad tracks. The Bulkley River cut a new channel,
flowing directly under the Buchfink residence. On December 28, after a major shift in the icejam occurred, the
families had to leave their homes a second time. On December 30, the evacuation order was lifted and most residents
returned to their homes. The icejam later broke up by itself.
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* 1) Anchor ice is a common occurrence in the Yukon and Saskatchewan in spring but relatively rare in British
Columbia (The Interior News, January 2, 1985).
February 17-23, 1985
Event type: Snow (fatal) avalanches.
Precipitation: Kemano (41.1 mm/1 day), February 17, 1985; Sewell Inlet (132.7 mm/2 days), February 17-18, 1985;
Kitimat 2 (150.0 mm/2 days), February 17-18, 1985; Ocean Falls (176.8 mm/2 days), February 17-18, 1985; Falls
River (165.0 mm/4 days), February 17-20, 1985; Prince Rupert M. Circ (106.2 mm/1 day), February 20, 1985; Bella
Coola (84.2 mm/2 days), February 22-23, 1985.
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