HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

Sweetin River crosses the forestry road, the temporary forestry bridge under construction washed out. Heavy
equipment on the other side was partly submerged. According to old-timers in the area, the Kispiox River had not
been this high since 1936. On October 20 at about 8:00 a.m., water levels started to recede.
During the night of October 21, partial flooding was reported from two Native Indian villages on the Nass
River. Heavy rains caused a sudden rise on the Nass River as it approached the 1961 flood level. The Aiyansh Indian
village got flooded. The Senior Indian School was flooded and the teacherage trailer washed away. Animals and
personal belongings were moved to higher ground.
January 11-13, 1965
Event type: Fatal snow and debris avalanche and snow avalanches.
Precipitation: Prince Rupert M. Circ (107.9 mm/3 days), January 11-13, 1965; Aiyansh (41.7 mm/1 day), January 13,
1965; Falls River (69.3 mm/1 day), January 13, 1965; Kitimat Townsite (54.4 mm/1 day), January 13, 1965; Ocean
Falls (132.8 mm/1 day) January 13, 1965.
Source: Prince Rupert Daily News, January 11, 12, 15 and 18, 1965; Terrace Omineca Herald, January 13 and 20,
1965; Victoria Daily Times, January 14, 1965; The Vancouver Sun, January 14, 1965; Ocean Falls Advertiser, January
25, 1965; Ramsey 1971 pp. 163-182); Bulletins relating to the slide of January 13, 1965. PABC, MSS 217. Vol. 3;
folder 2, Provincial Archives, Victoria, B.C.; J. Mekechuck, pers. comm. 1989. CN Railway, Edmonton, Alta.; B.C.
Ministry of Public Works 1966 (p. C 106); B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways 1980; Stethem and Schaerer
1980 (pp. 19-21); Trenhaile 1998 (p. 84).
Between January 11-13, the rail line between Prince Rupert-Terrace was hit by a series of slides. On January
12, four slides came down at Mile 10.6, 43.6, 47.0, and 50.2, closing the line for 10.5 hours. On January 15, five
snowslides came down at Mile 58.3, 57.5, 39.9, 52.7, and 57.0, closing the line for three days. Engineers described the
slides as 10-20 ft. (3-6 m) deep and 200-300 ft. (60-90 m) long (J. Mekechuck, pers. comm.). Early on January 14, a
rockslide derailed six cars of the freight train near Telegraph Point. The train with 13 crewmembers aboard was
trapped between snowslides.
A heavy snowfall was reported at midnight on January 11 at Amsbury Bluffs, 8 mi. (12.8 km) west of
Terrace. Highway 16 was closed for three days, blocked by 26 slides. Avalanches between Terrace-Prince Rupert
trapped three vehicles and their drivers. Sixteen slides occurred between Mile 42-58. The largest was near Kwinitsa
and measured a length of 200-300 ft. (60-90 m) and a depth of 10-20 ft. (3-6 m). A chartered Farwest bus carrying 31
Prince Rupert passengers to the Terrace airport was hit by a snowslide at Mile 55 on Highway 16. The bus was pushed
off the road but there was no damage or injuries. The slide was 300 yd. (270 m) long and 7 ft. (2.1 m) deep. During
the morning on January 12, the highway was reopened to one-lane traffic. It was closed again later that day because of
more snow.
Three days of heavy rain caused snowslides between Terrace-Prince Rupert. The slides described as 10-20 ft.
(3-6 m) deep and 200-300 ft. (60-90 m) long, came down within 10 minutes of each other. One brought rocks and trees
with it. Six bulldozers were working at clearing the tracks and the highway. It was expected to reach the train
sometime later that day.
On January 13, a mixed slush avalanche and channelised debris flow, triggered by heavy rainfall on an
exceptionally thick cover of snow, killed seven people and injured five others in Ocean Falls. *1) The combination of a
slush avalanche and debris flow started in the canyon at an elevation of 400-500 m. It cut a swath 100 yd. (90 m) wide
through a residential section to the sea. The slide was the result of heavy snowfalls in early January, followed by high
temperatures and heavy rain on January 13 (Stethem and Schaerer 1980). Between December 31-January 8, 136 cm of
new snow was recorded at Ocean Falls. On January 13, extremely heavy rain fell on the townsite, dumping 133 mm in
24 hours. Three minor slides and a fourth followed the slide on January 14.
On January 13 at about 9:45 p.m., residents of the isolated coastal papermill town 470 km northwest of
Vancouver heard a deep rumble that many took for the normal sounds of the mill. A 300-ft. (90 m) wide avalanche
wiped out two duplex homes at 8:30 p.m.; the western end of the ground floor of The Willows apartments was flooded
with slush and water. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police assisted in evacuating the tenants. Because of the
increasing avalanche hazard the police also decided to close the road between the townsite and Martin Valley, a
subdivision 1.5 km west of town. Around 9:30 p.m., the power and telephone communications were interrupted. At
10:00 p.m. the avalanche came down a gully from Mt. Caro Marion carrying trees, mud, and boulders. At the lower
end of the gully it separated into three arms. Two of these followed watercourses on the alluvial fan. The arm on the
westerly creek destroyed half a duplex house above Burma Road and knocked down the porch of a second duplex. It
also destroyed the end rooms on a bunkhouse at the water’s edge. The easterly arm completely destroyed another
duplex above Burma Road, carrying the wreckage downhill and destroying the print shop and the Credit Union
buildings below. Two adjacent buildings were also partially destroyed.
The avalanches tore out the wooden roadbed of Burma Road. On January 14, the Crown-Zellerbach Canada
Ltd. papermill suspended its normal 24-hour operation to house evacuees and release more men for rescue operations.
Early on January 14, the first body was recovered. The search continued for several days until the last two bodies were
recovered on January 19. Residents in areas cut off by the slide were evacuated by boat. The Community Hall was set
up as a refuge for evacuees. Control Centre was set up in the Townsite Office manned 24 hours daily. A radio
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