HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

Source: The Vancouver Sun, May 30; June 2 and 5, 1986; The Prince George Citizen, June 1 and 16, 1990; Robson
Valley Courier, June 4 and 11, 1986; Nesbitt-Porter 1986. B.G. Wilson. 1986. East Central British Columbia. O.I.C.
1106 May 1986 Summary of restoration works and costs B.G. Wilson. McBride – As constructed summary June-
September. November 1986.
At the end of May, a mudslide near McBride cut off about 100 people. Continuing warm weather melting
mountain snowpacks quickly caused a threat of creeks in the McBride area to overflow their banks. Prior to that, cool,
unsettled weather during the early spring resulted in less than normal melting of the mountain snowpack. McBride
village administrator Ron Brown said that a close watch was still being kept on a 240-km stretch of the upper Fraser River
between Purden Lake-Valemount.
Starting during the evening of May 26, and continuing for several days, high temperatures caused snow
slides and rapid snowmelt runoff. It resulted in flow surges, debris flows and damage along many McBride area creeks.
Following high water for a week, a surge of water through the Dore River caused extensive property damage on
Mountain View Road and along Dore Road.
On May 26-27, during a sudden warming trend, a series of avalanches exacerbated snowmelt runoff flows in
a number of Fraser River tributaries in the McBride area. Avalanches typically would plug these creeks, which have
steep gradients and watersheds ranging in elevation between 760 m and the permanent glacier level of 2,300 m. Once a
sufficient head of water would have developed upstream, it would breach, resulting in a debris torrent moving down
onto the Fraser River floodplain. Surge levels of up to 9 m above normal water level were observed.
On May 26 around 9 p.m., a “wall of water” swept down the Dore River, flooding several basements,
overturning vehicles and submerging Highway 16. Hardest hit were the residences of Bob Learie, Bob Elliott and
Myrtle Mackie along the Dore River Road, and those of Bill Hayes and Terry St. Jean across the river. Learie’s and
Elliott’s basements were flooded and all suffered damage to their wells and yards. On Mountain View Road, the
mudslide hit the Powell residence. It knocked down the garage, tore off a balcony, flooded the basement, overturned a
vehicle and washed another vehicle down into their yard.
The flood was caused by a rupture of an ice dam/huge avalanche in the headwaters of the south fork of the river.
The slab avalanche started within a few hundred metre of the mountaintop. Gene Runtz, Woodlands Manager for Zeidler
Forest Products, who surveyed the river by helicopter, said that the river was “blocked with 50 ft. (15 m) of ice.” At least
three avalanches blocked the south fork of the river. The largest ice dam furthest up the river gave way causing material and
water from all the slides to wash down the river.
During the flash flood, floodwaters were estimated 4 ft. (1.2 m) on the road near the Dore River bridge. After
about an hour, the water receded. A total of 74 people were evacuated the first night. Next day, with the inclusion of people
who were flown out from beyond a washout on Mountain View Road, the total rose to 94.
The most dramatic incidents included the destruction of one private home, tumbling of a D8 Cat down
Bevier Creek channel and a car being swept of Highway 16, at the Dore River. The only injury was to an equipment
operator working on rebuilding Mountain View Road, who was hit by a second mudslide about 3 p.m. on May 27. Nearby
resident Peter Lindelauf described it as, “A fourteen foot wall of water, mud and rock tumbling the Cat like a matchbox down
the creek.” The 40-ton crawler was tossed 150 ft. (45 m) down the stream. Damage to the Cat was estimated at $50,000. The
bulldozer operator attempting to restore the channel after the initial slug of water narrowly escaped serious injury or
death when trapped in his machine which rolled down the creek channel by a subsequent surge. This second slide
caused additional damage to the Powell residence. Exterior walls collapsed and the main floor was filled with mud.
An aerial survey of the creek on May 27 showed that there was still a danger of more slides. Of the 10 chutes
feeding the stream, mud had come down from only one of these. That same afternoon, three other chutes had slumped
together hundreds of metres. Six more looked ready to come down any time. Because of the continuing danger, work on
Mountain View Road was halted, keeping about 100 people stranded. Only four families comprising 19 people accepted the
offer of evacuation. Rising water levels prompted the road closure, which was opened again on May 30.
The flood also stranded men and equipment of the Triple C Logging Company up the Dore River. Two bridges
were washed out and the road was cut away in several spots. Zeidler Forest Industries estimated reconstruction cost to be at
least $250,000. The reconstruction estimate depended on the co-operation of the ministries of Fisheries, Environment and
Forestry.
On May 28, a high water alert for residents of the Robson Valley continued but there were no recurrences of the
flooding that forced the evacuation of McBride. The Fraser River caused flooding on Mountain View Road. On May 28,
PEP coordinator Tim Mitchell announced that the danger area increased to include all creeks between Purden Lake-
Valemount. On the night of May 28, Chris D’Alessandro evacuated his home on Nevin Creek. In Dunster, several
families lost their water supplies through flooding. On the evening of May 29, the RCMP evacuated residents along
Spittle Creek and Packsaddle Creek in Valemount.
In addition to creek restoration, estimated to cost $88,300, a further $134,700 expenditure on new bank
protection was necessary if future losses were to be prevented (Nesbitt-Porter 1986).
Centurion Creek, located within the boundaries of Chetwynd flooded is banks. It appeared that a very sudden
and large volume came downstream. This surge of water flushed the creek channel taking out everything in its path.
There was evidence of much overland flow, especially on the Brockman property, Lot 1809 downstream from the
Legion. Besides erosion, the Brockmans lost their water supply and had their basement flooded. There is some
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