COLUMBIA RIVER FLOOD

Grey River Argus, 2 June 1948, Page 5

COLUMBIA RIVER FLOOD

DISASTER WORST IN REGION’S HISTORY Devastation in Western U.S.A. and Canada (Rec. 9.40)' NEW YORK, May 31. In the north-western United States, ragingflood waters have left at least 60,000 persons homeless, and have caused seventy-five million dollars of damage. The floods have forced new evacuations in a score of cities in Washington and Oregon States. On Monday night ten thousand people already had been evacuated in the Portland city metropolitan area in Oregon. These are in addition to eighteen thousands evacuated from Vanport, which area is under 25 feet'of water. It is feared 300 may be the death roll of Vanport. ;(Ree. 9.40) NEW YORK, May 31. A state of emergency was declared in British Columbia on Monday night to “combat the flood as well as any other matters arising out of this emergency.” The Premier of the province, Mr Byron Johnson, empowered the Commander of the province’s Army, Colonel T. E. Snow, to call out all troops, to conscript civilians, to requisition transport, and to take all other necessary measures. Mr Johnson said that the seriousness of the flood situation in the Eraser River Valley and in the lower mainland of British Columbia necessitated the unified control of all agencies for fighting the menace. swollen Fraser River has crumbled a second dyke to-day, and it poured a wall of water over the farming areas east of Vancouver. Thousands of persons in the Pitt Meadows dis- • trict have fled from their homes. They left after; officials warned them that the Fraser River would reach a record high level of 25 feet above the normal level within 24 hours.

A NEW FLOOD AS DYKE BREAKS

Orders to Evacuate Area 120 Miles Long (Rec. 11.55) NEW YORK, June 1. A river dyke in the north of Portland, in Oregon State, broke late last (Monday) night. As a result flood waters from the Columbia River poured through the breach and then raced towards the devastated city of Vanport. There are a number of automobile tourist camps and also of private residences in the path of the new flood. These had been previously evacuated. . United States Army engineers, early on Monday, ordered everybody, except the flood worker’s, to evacuate all of the districts behind the a.y*.es of the flooded Columbia River. This orders has affected a distance of one hundred and twenty miles, from near Portland city, right on westwards to the Pacific Ocean. . fl he crest of the Columbia’s flood is now approaching the heavily populated lower valleys of the river, after leaving its upper basins devastated. Army engineers said that in the upper basin there has been the worst disaster in the history of the region. Commiinications are now breaking ?i? w u- , T/ans Port is crippled and the hydro electric power is at a critically low level in the devastated area. Another Town Flooded . Early on Monday the Columbia river smashed a levee and flooded the downtown part, of Dallas (population 8000). Hundreds of volunteers rushed to stem the flood waters with sandbags. The Vanport disaster came as a climax to a day of mounting flood destruction throughout the north-west. At least 21 have been killed in floods in Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Washington States. The damage according to officials, has reached “fantastic proportions.” At Washington. President Truman declared the flood areas in the States of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho a disaster region and arranged for the use of surplus war goods for relief and rehabilitation. The Red Cross has allotted 2’50,000 dollars for relief in Vanport. Big Floods in Canada VANCOUVER, May 31. A new crest of floodwater swept ovei' part of Fraser river to-day, when a dyke collapsed at Matsqui, 45 miles east of Vancouver. Navy craft were sent to evacuate residents. British Columbia’s rail connections with Eastern Canada were broken to-day and are not likely to be resumed until the floods subside. Vanpori Swamped Under 25 Feet of Water . NEW YORK, May 31. The town of Vanport, with nearly 19,000 people, which was built to house workers engaged at the Swan Island Shipyards of Henry Kaiser on the Columbia River in Oregon State, has disappeared. It now is almost completely submerged by flood waters 25 feet deep and it is believed that all the town’s hundreds of wooden structures have been destroyed or swept from • their foundations. No official estimate of the death toll can be made until the refugees are checked and buildings and cars in the stricken city are searched. Unofficial estimates of the -death roll at Vanport are as high as 300. The dead cannot be found until the

flooded river goes down. It is not due to reach the crest until Monday. In half an hour of terror which wiped out the entire town on Sunday, thousands escaped by wading, swimming, stumbling and tugging themselves along a human chain to safety, but hundreds were trapped as flimsy buildings folded like tents. Many were caught in cars —now feet under water —and scores vanished after they had leapt from their homes, which were ripped from their foundations. NO WARNING There was little warning. Earlier on Sunday engineers had reported that the dyke containing the Columbia River would hold and there was no need to evacuate the* town. The engineers were so confident that the dyke would hold that in the morning the. city authorities distributed to every house a statement saying that no danger was expected, but that in the event of need to evacuate a siren would be blown. The siren, however, gave only 15 minutes’ warning before the first wall of water at 4.15 p.m. roared through the city, sweeping playing children off their feet, crushing houses and swirling . cars like toys in the brown torrent. At 4.15 p.m. local time, the dyke broke and sent a wall of water crashing down on the town’s barrack-like buildings. Most of the residents fled in panic before the second and more powerful mass of flood waters crashed and toppled the buildings. A flying instructor, who was in the air above the scene when the dyke crumpled, said: '“A wall of water roared through the city below me. I saw the wall of one apartment pop out like a balloon exploding. I saw water crack buildings like a bull-doz-er knocks down a sapling. “Entire buildings seem to burst when the water hit them. I saw an old man racing ahead of the wave pulling a little wagon with two kids on it. The water got them. I saw a group of. pebple shrinking back against a wall. The water got them too. I felt sick inside and flew away.” Very few of the scores of houses were standing three hours after the water swept over the area. When the flood struck, residents on second floors believed themselves safe, but as the level rose it jerked the buildings loose. GRAPHIC STORIES

Tragic stories of eye-witnesses tell of mothers splashing frantically through the surging waters, hunting for their children, of men grabbing logs and planks from the debris and trying to find their families, and of others wading neck deep with terrified children on their shoulders. “The worst part .of it all was the screams of the mothers hunting for their children,” sobbed a telephone switch-girl who managed to scramble to the top of a small hill. “I will never forget the looks of anguish on the faces of separated families.” Scores of persons were injured in the first wild rush to escape. Many were treated for immersion. Thousands or refugees, most of them afoot, fled to Portland, where 65 schools were converted into emergency shelters. , A number of residents who sheltered in the upper floors of Vanport s buildings were rescued by boat teams. „ j .u Ironically, the flood occurred the day before the 59th. anniversary of a similar disaster) Johnstown. Pennsylvania, when a dam broke its banks and.at least 2000 people perA newspaper correspondent who was there throughout the disaster said, “Suddenly water swept down the street. It broke over like waves. 1 saw a hill of water crash into a Ibapartment building. i There vas a splintering sound and the budding swung round as if on a lop-sided rai way turntable.” ■ ' '