The last few days I have been reading the transcripts of a collection of interviews taken after the 1976 flood in this area that was just as bad, or nearly as bad (can't decide which) as our flood in September.

Not even a month after that 1976 flood, the state historical society sent a man out to talk to various people involved with the flood: the head of the Red Cross, the man in charge of the Mennonite volunteers who came to help clean out flood-damaged homes; various county deputies and state patrolmen who tried to warn people of the oncoming high water, and then were trapped in the canyon along with the other survivors; and regular people who lived in the canyon or were visiting the night of the flood.

Reading through them, I am looking for the similarities and contrasts to our flood. That 1976 flood was a flash flood caused by intense rain in a small area - the water receded in few hours. In that short time it did a lot of damage: killed 144 people and took out a lot of houses. Our 2013 flood was more drawn out and covered a huge area, affecting several river drainages. Many more homes were lost, particularly ones in areas that hadn't been cleaned out by the 1976 flood. Only two people in our canyon died, and only 10 total in the state.

It's touching to read about what people went through back then, and the whole time I'm wondering who is going around this time, gathering up the stories while the experience is fresh in peoples' minds.

1976:


2013: