HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

Source: The Omineca Herald, August 21, 1953.
On August 11, a slide occurred on the Kalum Lake Road, about 5.5 mi. (8.8 km) north of Terrace. The slide,
which wiped out a portion of the road under construction, left a gap 30 ft. (9 m) deep and over 120 ft. (36 m) wide.
The road closure put 20 to 30 men employed in the logging industry temporarily out of work. By August 14, the road
was passable. According to foreman Mathews, over 5,000 yd. 3 (3,823 m 3 ) of gravel was used to repair the road. (The
Omineca Herald).
October 10-14, 1953
Event type: Flooding and debris slide.
Precipitation: Kitimat (98.3 mm/2 days), October 10-11, 1953; Prince Rupert (141.0 mm/1 day), October 11, 1953;
Kemano (53.3 mm/1 day), October 11, 1954; Falls River (205.0 mm/5 days), October 10-14, 1953.
Source: The Daily News, October 13, 1953; The Interior News, October 21, 1953; Eero Karanka, pers. comm. February
21, 1994. Habitat Biologist Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Prince Rupert.
Prince Rupert experienced a record rainfall with 3.65 in. (92.7 mm) in six hours or 5.55 in. (141.0 mm) in 24
hours. Storm sewers overflowed and streets and basements were flooded.
According to Alcan data, the Kitimat River recorded a discharge of 45,000 cfs (1,274 m 3 /s) near the middle
of the month. *1) It is not known whether this was a mean daily or an instantaneous discharge. If it was a mean daily
discharge, it would have been the eleventh highest flow during the period of WSC stream gauge data (1964-1993)
(Karanka, pers. comm.).
On October 16 at 4 p.m., a mud and rockslide came down at Telegraph Point, 44 mi. (70.4 km) east of Prince
Rupert. To permit the flow of highway traffic without too much delay, bulldozers cleared the 15-ft. (4.5 m) deep debris
into the Skeena River. Disrupted rail traffic necessitated the transfer of passengers. On October 17, the eastbound
passenger train reached Smithers about eight hours late. By October 19, rail traffic was back to normal.
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*1) From April 1953 to July 1954, Alcan operated private stream gauging stations on Moore Creek, Anderson Creek,
and the Kitimat River (Karanka, pers. comm.).
October 25-27, 1953
Event type: Rain-on-snow flooding.
Precipitation: Kitimat Townsite (56.4 mm/2 days), November 25-26, 1953; Falls River (156.0 mm/3 days), October
25-27, 1953; Kitimat (65.8 mm/2 days), October 26-27, 1953; Terrace (64.5 mm/2 days) October 26-27, 1953.
Source: The Omineca Herald, October 30, November 6, 13, 1953; Eero Karanka, pers. comm. February 21, 1994.
Habitat Biologist Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Prince Rupert.
Unusual heavy rains in the Terrace area caused creeks and lakes to overflow their banks. *1) According to an
old-time resident, Lakelse Lake reached the “highest water level since 1936.” In a number of summer homes the water
was nearly up to the floor level. In Terrace, Greig Avenue flooded in front of the Credit Union Hall and in the vicinity
of the Skeena Hotel. To drain the water, village maintenance workers dug a sump hole on the south side of Greig
Avenue.
According to Alcan data, during a second freshet near the end of October, the Kitimat River recorded a
discharge of 33,000 cfs (934 m 3 /s). Again, it is not known whether this was a mean daily or an instantaneous
discharge (Karanka, pers. comm.).
On October 27, near Dorreen, a rockslide at a placer mine at Lorne Creek killed one miner. The victim’s
body, which was carried into Lorne Creek, was found about two weeks later.
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*1) Terrace set an all-time rain record for October with 293.9 mm (The Omineca Herald).
January 30-February 3, 1954
Event type: Flooding.
Precipitation: Kemano (145.1 mm/3 days), January 30-February 1, 1954; Falls River (271.1 mm/4 days), January 30-
February 2, 1954; Aiyansh (71.3 mm/2 days), January 31-February 1, 1954; Terrace (91.7 mm/4 days), January 31-
February 2, 1954; Prince Rupert (64.5 mm/1day), February 1, 1954; Sandspit A (31.5 mm/1 day), February 2, 1954.
Source: Terrace Omineca Herald, February 4 and 11, 1954; The Interior News, February 4, 1954; Eero Karanka, pers.
comm. February 21, 1994. Habitat Biologist Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Prince Rupert. Files. B.C. Ministry
of Transportation and Highways, Terrace.
A sudden rise in temperature to 42 o F (5.5 o C) occurred with a steady heavy snowfall. The ice in the Skeena
River broke up and a solid wall 15 ft. (4.5 m) high washed under the Skeena bridge at Terrace. The substructure of the
new bridge escaped undamaged. This was the first time in its known history that the ice broke up in February.
The washouts and flooding in the Terrace area was not as serious as was at first feared. The highway east of
Terrace was closed when Manson Creek washed out. The Department of Public Works issued road restrictions for
heavy hauling on Lakelse Road, Kalum Road, and Highway 16 east. The Zymoetz River recorded peak flows with
nine days of discharges exceeding 100 m 3 /s). On February 6, the river peaked at 365 m 3 /s. *1)
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