News Leader News
TEN YEARS AGO: FLOOD OF THE CENTURY
On November 11, 1995, 24.5 cm. of snow fell, adding to the few centimeters already on the ground. On Granite Mountain, there was more than a meter of snow. At higher elevation, the snow was even deeper.
The rain began early in the week, with intermittent showers, gradually turning into a steady drizzle. The temperature climbed above 0, and stayed above 0. Overnight on November 27/28, the rain increased and continued into November 29.
On the morning of November 29, 1995, the marker under the wooden bridge showed the Tulameen River five feet above normal.
The first reports of flooding came from the Tulameen area. Next we heard a report of a creek bridge washed out. Highways maintenance workers were sounding an alarm over the rapid rise of Tulameen River. By noon, the bridge marker showed seven feet above normal and rising fast, a foot every hour. In Tulameen, the river flowed upstream in Otter Creek, filling the lake. In Coalmont, the river was washing through the town. The Woodfords were to lose their home in the flood.
Mayor John Stinson was out of town that day, and Deputy Mayor Betty Pilon took over the emergency measures for the town. Pilon took over the radio station and was warning people in low-lying areas they were in danger. Ray Huey, head of local Emergency Social Services, was set up to issue writs for dry clothing and accommodation for people from Coalmont and Tulameen whose homes were flooded. As evening approached, he had a flood of people waiting for help.
By 3:00 p.m., the water had reached the nine foot marker under the bridge, and storm sewers were operating in reverse. The river was above the sewer outlets and the pressure forced floodwater up the sewer, popping steel covers and flooding low-lying areas. Residents of Allison Court had to be rescued. The entire bottom floor of the building was flooded.
People gathered on the dikes and bridges to watch the show. Huge trees rushed past, and once there was a shed, and a camper trailer. At 4:00 p.m., the water in Tulameen River was level with the top of the dike by the bridge. Worse still, water pressure was forcing water through the ground and it was bubbling up out of the ground in the trailer park behind Similkameen Vending. Deputy Mayor Pilon warned people to stay away from the bridges as there might be a problem with trees jamming under the bridge and pulling the bridge into the water.
By this time, the Similkameen River was rising rapidly, adding to the huge flow of water from Tulameen River.
At 5:00 p.m., Tulameen River was flooding the low-lying areas of Allison Flats, and had flowed down the Town works yard road past Fields store. Bridge Street, from Fields to the wooden bridge, was awash. The mobile homes in the little trailer park were filling up. Santa's Workshop, located in the basement under the barber shop, filled with water and destroyed all the Christmas gifts donated for needy families. Basements in the area were filling as water from the river flowed through the area. More than 200 people were homeless. Houses and shops were damaged, and the mobile homes behind Similkameen Vending were torn from their sites and floating, with plumbing ripped from the ground, and sewage mixing with the floodwater.
The floodwater went over Old Hedley Road, and over farm fields all the way to Tonasket. One Chopaka farm lost 15 acres to the flood. At that end of the valley, residents described "a river of trees" going past. These trees kept right on going, and became a problem at the dam at Bridgeport, Washington, where the trees finally stopped. Crews had to pull the trees out of the reservoir, but not that night or for several days.
The huge flow of water caused trouble all the way down the Washington dam system. Dam maintenance work scheduled for that time of year had to be put aside to deal with the floodwaters raging down from Canada.
In the aftermath of the flood, Princeton residents pulled together to help flood victims whenever they could. Seventh Day Adventists came from the lower mainland to help remove garbage and clean up homes. A few homes had serious damage. MLA Harry Lali brought the Minister of Environment, Moe Sihota, to view the damage and talk to residents. The minister promised to expedite claims and provide whatever help was needed. Throughout Tulameen and Coalmont, wells had to be cleaned out before homeowners could draw water. At the Ken Thomas farm, the hay field was a mess of driftwood and gravel.
Local residents, and people from other towns, sent every kind of goods bedding, appliances, dishes, furniture. Princeton Crisis Assistance was given space in the building where Kevin Acres is now located, and people affected by the flood could go in and get what they needed.
Toys to replace those lost when Santa's Workshop flooded came from everywhere. People were so generous that Ted Worthington, President of Crisis Assistance, had to call a halt to it. There were so many toys that the next year, when a Quebec town suffered a terrible flood, Princeton sent a truckload of toys to the children of that town.
Near Tulameen, a sandbar had a pile of trees that eventually yielded seven truckloads of logs for the sawmill and two loads to be used for firewood. These days, that sandbar has become a campground during Tulameen Days.
One very good thing to come from the flood was the formation of the Similkameen Valley Planning Society. Mayors, Chiefs and Regional Directors met together to discuss what needed to be done about the river and flooding problems. It was the first time Indian Bands, Regional Directors and Mayors had formed an alliance to look out for the well-being of a region, and they learned it gave them surprising "clout" with the provincial government.
Not the first, but the worst
The November 1995 flood was not the first winter flood in the Similkameen, but it was the worst. There was a flood on Boxing Day, 1980, that washed out a bridge in Manning Park. There was a flood on November 10, 1990, that caused flooding due to back-flow on the storm drains. These winter floods follow a pattern. Snow in early November builds up in the mountains, then a thaw, with rain, begins to melt the snow rapidly. The run-off begins.
ARTSNOW INVESTS IN PRINCETON
The Town of Princeton has received funding from 2010 Legacies Now through Creative Communities, an Arts Now contribution program designed for municipalities and other arts organizations to undertake cultural development initiatives in partnership with community leaders.
"This valuable program supports communities as they undertake the essential strategic planning to maximize investments in arts and culture," said the Honourable Olga Ilich, Minister of Tourism, Sport and the Arts.
"By developing planning capacity in our arts and culture organizations we help ensure that future investments better meet community needs and are sustainable over the long-term."
The goal of Creative Communities is to encourage the use of cultural planning by communities to recognize the creative sectors importance in and of itself and in attaining social and economic objectives.
"2010 Legacies Now, through Arts Now, is assisting British Columbia's artistic community by strengthening and enhancing the creative capabilities of organizations and communities," said Marion Lay, President and CEO, 2010 Legacies Now.
"Through the Creative Communities program arts organizations will work in partnership with municipalities to assess the needs of their arts and culture community."
The funding is available in two categories; Cultural Planning, which supports communities in creating a cultural plan that can be developed, implemented and evaluated; and Cultural Scan, which supports assessment initiatives that enable communities to take stock of local cultural assets, strengths, challenges and aspirations for the purpose of establishing the groundwork for the development of a cultural plan.
"The contribution from 2010 Legacies Now was matched by Area H (Regional District Okanagan Similkameen) and the Town of Princeton and after forming our committee and a consultant, we set a goal of inventorying community assets and did a survey to discover what people feel is lacking in arts and culture in our community," said Dawn Johnson, Chair of the Princeton Arts
Now Committee.
"We are on our way to breathing new life into our arts community and giving hope to many talented people who have come forward to provide input."
"This funding, through 2010 Legacies Now, will enable the town's governing body and community groups to work together and develop a plan that will truly reflect and respond to local needs," said Lyle Thomas, Chair of the Princeton Spirit of BC Community Committee.
Arts Now funding applications can be found on the 2010 Legacies Now website at www.2010LegaciesNow.com, or by calling 604-659-1400. Applications for Creative Communities are ongoing.
2010 Legacies Now is a not-for-profit society that works in partnership with community organizations, non-government organizations (NGOs), the private sector and all levels of government to develop sustainable legacies in sport & recreation, arts, literacy, and volunteerism. 2010 Legacies Now actively assists communities discover and create unique and inclusive social and economic opportunities leading up to, during, and beyond the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. For more information about 2010 Legacies Now visit www.2010LegaciesNow.com
