HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

Precipitation: Sewell Inlet (121.0 mm/1 day), September 19, 1985; Falls River (72.0 mm/1 day), September 19, 1985;
Kildala (55.0 mm/1 day), September 19, 1985; Nass Camp (30.8 mm/1 day), September 19, 1985; Prince Rupert M.
Circ (100.0 mm/1 day), September 19, 1985; Langara (53.6 mm/2 days), September 19-20, 1985; Prince Rupert (82.3
mm/2 days), September 19-20, 1985.
Source: The Daily News, September 20, 1985.
High winds and rain caused trouble for fishing vessels on the North Coast. The fishing boat Pacific Breeze
ran aground in Tana Bay on the west coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands. The lone occupant was rescued. The Ruthy
J, a 42-ft. (12.6 m) American boat, was towed into Prince Rupert.
On the Queen Charlotte Islands, many debris avalanches and debris torrents occurred near Bonanza Creek
and Tartu Inlet. The Tartu Inlet area, on the west coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands, experienced heavy rain. The
watchman of a logging camp at Tartu Inlet estimated the rainfall at 7 in. (175 mm) in 12 hours. Three separate
torrents, originating on the hillside above the camp located on the flats, hit the facilities. The logdump and sort and
fuel storage were pushed into the inlet. A bunkhouse trailer was hit and carried downslope. There were no injuries.
The watchman spent the night in a boat on the water.
October 9-17, 1985
Event type: Flooding.
Precipitation: Ocean Falls (558.9 mm/8 days), October 9-16, 1985; Sewell Inlet (253.2 mm/5 days), October 12-16,
1985; Bella Coola (158.8 mm/5 days), October 12-16, 1985; Hartley Bay (218.0 mm/4 days), October 14-17, 1985;
Kemano (160.2 mm/4 days), October 14-17, 1985;
Sandspit A (34.0 mm/1 day), October 15, 1985; Kildala (98.2 mm/3 days), October 15-17, 1985;
Kitimat 2 (164.1 mm/3 days), October 15-17, 1985.
Source: Northern Sentinel, October 17 and 18, 1985; Coast Mountain Courier, October 23, 1985.
Between October 8-16, Bella Coola recorded 6.18 in. (156.9 mm) of rain, and gale force winds up to 76 kn.
(140 km/h) at Cathedral Point, Kwatna Bay in Burke Channel. On October 15, 1.6 in. (40.8 mm) of rain fell. Rivers
and side streams reached near record levels. The Thorsen Creek bridge was closed for one day by water and debris on
the bridge.
Kitimat reported gales with gusts up to 138 km/h. On October 15, the gillnetter Lucky Rock and another
gillnetter sank in Hecate Strait. The occupants of both boats were rescued.
March 29, 1986
Event type: Fatal snow avalanche.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: The Vancouver Sun, March 31, 1986.
On March 29, an avalanche on the Cariboo Mountain trail about 50 km south of Valemount killed four
snowmobilers, all of Drayton Valley, about 110 km west of Edmonton, Alta. The victims were part of 11 riding snowmobiles
along a popular alpine ridge when the avalanche, estimated more than 1 km wide, swept over them. The avalanche missed
the five riders in the rear of the group.
Lyda Sedgbeer, another snowmobiler who was in Valemount to participate in a weekend snowmobile rally, said
conditions were too hazardous to be in the backcountry. Heavy rains on March 28-29 made conditions unsafe. Both the big
British Columbia mountaineering clubs cancelled all their weekend outings because of avalanche danger.
Avalanche expert Frank Baumann, a former heli-skiing operator, blamed the four deaths on the lack of
communication between the avalanche professionals and the general public. After a snowslide in the East Kootenay had
killed two skiers the previous month, he had predicted “there will be more deaths.” Baumann said a 24-hour avalanche
information phone, such as the ones operating in Alberta and Washington State, would help keep recreationalists informed
about the hazards.
The depth of the avalanche ranged up to 10 m, hampering recovery operations. One man was pulled out uninjured.
A 23-year old woman was found alive after she was buried for more than an hour. Two bodies were recovered before
darkness stopped searchers. The risk of avalanches in the area was extremely high. Using three police dogs, the other two
bodies were recovered the next day.
Spring 1986
Event type: Icejam flooding.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: Nesbitt-Porter 1986.
During the spring, an ice jam on the Dore River caused damage in the Mackie area.
May 26-29, 1986
Event type: Mudslide and flash flood.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
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