Floods Claim First Victim - April 28, 1979 - Iron Bridge

SATURDAY, APRIL 28,1979

Floods Claim First Victim

Heavy floods that are sweeping Algoma have claimed their first victim — a woman who died after her car slid into a ditch on Highway 17 near Blind River.

Provincial police were releasing few details pending notification of relatives but said the 27-year-old woman died early today in hospital. She was one of two drivers who slid into the ditch Friday night at about 8 p.m. when the Mississaugi River overflowed its banks, flooding the highway area.

The second driver, Terrance Moran, managed to escape from a window of his car which was submerged at the site about seven miles west of Blind River, police say.

The Goulais-Searchmont area north of Sault Ste. Marie was recovering this morning from Goulais River flooding which peaked Friday.

But water was continuing to rise along the Mississaugi east of the Sault, and police said the Trans Canada highway could be washed out completely later today at the scene of the fatal accident.

Meanwhile, as many-as 15 houses have been evacuated in one section of Iron Bridge where the Mississaugi has flooded.

Water was four to five feet deep outside the Mississauga Crescent home of Mel Marshall, whose family sought shelter at a friend's house Friday.

"I never believed it could have happened," said Mr. Marshall, a seven-year resident who surveyed his home by boat today.

Iron Bridge Reeve Harvey Eaket said damage will run into "hundreds of thousands of dollars," and called the flooding worse than overflows in 1969 and 1970.

He said the river was 32 feet above summer levels and still rising. Police said later the depth appeared to be holding or falling slightly.

A major concern was whether Ontario Hydro would be forced to open power dams on the river because of backups.

"It's a possibility — we're doing some figuring right now," a Hydro spokesman in Blind River said.

Police, who along with the ministry of transportation and communications are patrolling the flooded area on the highway, say the road will be washed out if the dam is opened.

Traffic was moving although the roadway was covered with a few inches of water.

The Algoma Central Railway resumed service north of the Sault today but the Searchmont highway and Pine Shores roads were still closed.

James Auld. Ontario natural resources minister, says his ministry is looking into ways of easing future threats of floods on the Goulais River.

He was responding Friday in the legislature to MPP Bud Wildman, who represents the flood-stricken area. Mr. Wildman had asked the government to

undertake flood-plain mapping and engineering studies for erosion and flood control.

Mr. Wildman had also asked Mr. Auld and Leo Bernier, northern affairs minister, to aid residents who were hard-hit by flooding along the spring-swollen river on the 48 kilometres between Searchmont and Lake Superior.

The ministers gave no assurances, saying, however, they are monitoring the situation.

Mopping up operations have begun as the water continues to recede. In Searchmont, some of the 40 residents evacuated at the height of the flooding have begun moving back to the mud and the mess that is in their homes.

As the water recedes it reveals damage to roads, bridges and railway lines that isolated the village of 300. Algoma Central Railway crews worked throughout Friday to get the severed rail line back into operations. Water washed out portions of the tracks, but ACR officials were hoping to get a train on it before today.

Stan Black, ACR vice-president, said flooding reaches as far back as Mile 132. "We have no idea what is behind Mile 116 and Mile 112," he said. As a precaution, railway cars have been filled with material and placed on rail bridges at Millwood to prevent the force of the flooding waters from sweeping them away.

An assessment of damage has not been made. Authorities could do little Friday but wait for the water to go down and do what repairs they could.

Florent Desroches, owner of the Searchmont General Store, said residents will likely move to ask the government to aid flood victims, some of whom were left homeless. But that will have to wait until they are over the shock of the flood and clean up operations have been completed.

The flood was certainly the worst in the area in many years. Some, such as Adele Trumble, who has lived in Searchmont since 1926 said it has never been worse. But others say floods in the early 1960s were just as bad.

"We didn't think it was necessary to call this an emergency," said John Sellers, natural resources manager in the Sault. "But it's probably as bad as it's ever been, although some residents have told us they've seen water levels just as bad if not worse."

and Leo Bernier, northern affairs minister, to aid residents who were hard-hit by flooding along the spring-swollen river on the 48 kilometres between Searchmont and Lake Superior.

The ministers gave no assurances, saying, however, they are monitoring the situation.

Mopping up operations have begun as the water continues to recede. In Searchmont, some of the 40 residents evacuated at the height of the flooding have begun moving back to the mud and the mess that is in their homes.

As the water recedes it reveals damage to roads, bridges and railway lines that isolated the village of 300. Algoma Central Railway crews worked throughout Friday to get the severed rail line back into operations. Water washed out portions of the tracks, but ACR officials were hoping to get a train on it before today.

Stan Black, ACR vice-president, said flooding reaches as far back as Mile 132. "We have no idea what is behind Mile 116 and Mile 112," he said. As a precaution, railway cars have been filled with material and placed on rail bridges at Millwood to prevent the force of the flooding waters from sweeping them away.

An assessment of damage has not been made. Authorities could do little Friday but wait for the water to go down and do what repairs they could.

Florent Desroches, owner of the Searchmont General Store, said residents will likely move to ask the government to aid flood victims, some of whom were left homeless. But that will have to wait until they are over the shock of the flood and clean up operations have been completed.

The flood was certainly the worst in the area in many years. Some, such as Adele Trumble, who has lived in Searchmont since 1926 said it has never been worse. But others say floods in the early 1960s were just as bad.

"We didn't think it was necessary to call this an emergency," said John Sellers, natural resources manager in the Sault. "But it's probably as bad as it's ever been, although some residents have told us they've seen water levels just as bad if not worse."

Depending on where you are the Goulais waters are about 10 to 15 feet

higher than normal spring levels because of a combination of melting snow and heavy rains Wednesday and Thursday. At that level, the water is 30 feet higher in some places than in the summer.

Provincial police and natural resources officials blocked flooded roads north of the Sault, notably, Highways 552, 556, Pine Shores, 546 between Elliot Lake and Iron Bridge and Highway 129 between Thessalon and Chapleau.

Bob McMenemy, a teacher in the Sault who lives on Pine Shore Road near where the Goulais empties into Lake Superior, said he's never seen property submerged as it is this week.

"It came up pretty well the night the Edmund Fitzgerald went down (November, 1975), but that was the wind blowing the water back upriver and flooding us," he said as he pulled on a pair of hip-waders Friday to traverse the half-mile or so of flooded road to his house.

"My house is high and dry, but there's plenty of water all around it and certainly enough between here, in the road, and there. My wife and children are still there, but the water seems to be at its peak level now, so it should start receding soon."

Gary Redmond, who lives along the Pine Shore Road just where the Goulais pours across, making normal travel impossible, spent Thursday night building a dike across the rear of his house with sandbags.

He was one of few at that area of Pine Shore Road still high and dry by late Friday afternoon.

Bridge on Old Goulais River Road and noted it was rising at noon Friday a half-inch every two hours as compared to an inch an hour Thursday night.

"It's levelling off," said one officer. "With the sunshine and winds, I think we've seen the worst."

Meanwhile, the Goulais rampaged along under the Bailey Bridge and crested to cover Old Goulais River Road just beyond, pouring over into adjacent fields and forcing the OPP to halt traffic just south of the bridge.

All along that portion of the Goulais, people moved cautiously near the shoreline in canoes and small boats.

"You don't want to get out into that current," said one resident, camera in hand, waving toward the swirling brown

waters. "Not only is it fast, but it's filled with downed trees, logs and debris washed away from camps and houses."

Friday morning, John Pilon and his wife finally vacated their home, just downriver along Pine Shore Road from Mr. Redmond's place.

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Mrs. Pilon paddled her way up the flooded road, while Mr. Pilon managed to get the family Plymouth rolling and sputtered his way along, water waking to either side of the hood.

"They sent their kids out last night when the water began to reach their bedroom windows," said a neighbor.

The OPP were taking hourly water-depth measurements near the Bailey bridge.

Once the river began to flow across the kitchen floor Friday morning the Pilons decided to evacuate.

"I've seen it bad before," said Mr. Pilon, "but never this bad."

Stu Smith lives in the same area and he too donned hip-waders Friday morning to investigate the state of his property, especially the condition of pilings beneath his cruiser, perched up out of the water, but directly along the original riverbank.

"I'm a bit concerned the fast water night tear a the pilings and put her into the river," he said, referring to the huge inboard craft.

Upon investigation, he found that things in his house were dry and in no imminent danger of becoming otherwise.

Algoma wasn't the only area in Northern Ontario hit with flood waters. In Field, Ont., 40 kilometres northwest of North Bay, about 200 fled their homes when the Sturgeon River topped its banks, sending a metre of water into the community.

Roger Lefond, Field Township clerk, said the flooding is expected to continue for two more weeks and the township council has declared a state of emergency.

In Timmins, about 20 homes were flooded by waters from Porcupine Lake and several roads there were closed, said Brian Tees, secretary-manager of the Mattagami Region Conservation Authority.

Contributors to this story were

Dave Groff, Bill Crawford and Rob

Bostelaar.