HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

Heavy rain was reported in the Terrace area. Between November 14, 4 p.m.- November 15, 4 p.m., a total of
97.4 mm of rain fell. *1) Flooding occurred in Terrace in the 4500 block of Lazelle Avenue, after gravel had plugged
the Park Avenue sewer inlet. A similar problem occurred in the 4600 block of Lakelse Avenue. The Terrace Video
Stop was flooded again after flooding on October 13, 1991 due to a plugged storm drain. The store had 7 in. (17.8 cm)
of water at the door, and half the store was under 1 in. (2.5 cm) of water. Flooding also occurred at the Terrace Inn and
the Terrace Review newspaper office. Following 24 hours of heavy rains in the Terrace area, a slide occurred at the
south end of the old Skeena bridge. The circular slump, about 25 m wide, was caused by the failure of liquefied
saturated silts dropping 30 m down an embankment. It pulled away from a 3-in. (7.5-cm) Pacific Northern Gas
pipeline and damaged the lights and signal conduits.
Heavy rain in the Terrace area caused further damage to Forest Service roads (FSR) already weakened by the
October 8-14 flood. The damage estimates were as follows: Grease Trail FSR, $40,000 for bridge repair and
replacement of seven culverts; Lakelse FSR $25,000 for the rebuilding of a bridge approach and replacements of 10
culverts; West Kalum FSR $40,000 for the replacement of a culvert and 100 m of road; and Thunderbird FSR $2,500
for the repair of a washout at 6 km.
During the night of November 15-16, a slide occurred on the Tow Hill Road On the Queen Charlotte Islands.
The slide, which measured a width of 25 m and a height of 5 m on the road, moved an estimated volume of maximum
1,300 m 3 . In the immediate area of Tow Hill, numerous slides have occurred during the past 25 years. For long-term
safety, a realignment of the road away from the toe of the hill is recommended (F. Maximchuk, pers. comm.). On
January 9, 1992, the Tow Hill road was reported still closed. Extremely high tides coupled with high water levels
contributed to erosion around the road and bridge. High water levels on the road made raising sections of the road by a
metre or more necessary.
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*1) The old record for November was set in 1956 with 93 mm. The Terrace-Kitimat airport weather office recorded a
total of 320 mm of rainfall for November. The rainfall was nearly 2.5 times the November average, just 22 mm short
of the 1969 record. Total precipitation including snow was 374 mm; the same number for 1969 was 354 mm. (The
Terrace Standard).
November 1991?
Event type: Debris slide.
Precipitation: Not available.
Source: The Daily News, February 28, 1995.
Around November?, a landslide occurred in Miller Creek on the Queen Charlotte Islands. Seven charges
under the Fisheries Act were laid against Fletcher Challenge Canada Ltd. and Crown Forest Industries Ltd. and former
Fletcher employee John Kay. These were for “carrying out work resulting in the destruction of fish habitat and
depositing harmful materials, such as wood, rock and earth, into a water frequented by fish.” Each charge carried a
maximum penalty of $300,000. *1)
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*1) The Sierra Legal Defence Fund laid initial charges but in January 1994, the Crown took over the case. On February
20, 1995, the charges were stayed in Queen Charlotte provincial court because it was not possible to prove logging
practices caused the Miller Creek landslide” (The Daily News, February 28, 1995).
November 27, 1991
Event type: Fatal snow avalanche.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: Jamieson and Geldsetzer 1996 (pp. 149-151).
On November 27, three avalanches came down Twin Falls near Smithers, killing one ice-climber and
injuring four others. At about 5 p.m., a small avalanche came down the chute. Twenty minutes later, a second, size 1,
avalanche occurred, which carried down four members of a group of seven ice-climbers. A bulge in the ice above them
protected two climbers at the upper station. After the avalanche stopped, one member ended up on the surface, two
were partially buried right side up and the fourth was partially buried, head down, with his feet sticking out. The snow
was very dense and it took 15 minutes to dig out the latter. As the victim had no vital signs, CPR was initiated. After
15 minutes of CPR, a third avalanche came down.
1992
Event type: Slope failure.
Precipitation: Not available.
Source: B.C. Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources 1993.
In 1992, a house near Williams Lake received considerable damage from undercutting of a slope.
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