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THE BADGER FLOOD

© Robert Hunter

The people of Badger in central Newfoundland woke up on the morning of Saturday, February 15, to find a flood engulfing their town. In just one hour the water level had risen 2.5 metres when three rivers which join near the community--Exploits, Red Indian, and Badger--got backed up with ice jams. The frigid waters invaded dozens of homes and other buildings and washed away several vehicles, and many stranded homeowners had to be moved to safety in the buckets of front-end loaders.

At 11:35 a.m. Mayor Gerald Hurley declared a State of Emergency. A command centre for Emergency Measures Organization and government officials, firefighters and other volunteers, RCMP, and the media was established at Central Training Academy, and the adjacent Bethel Pentecostal Church was used as a warm-up station and greeting place. At the latter there was a steady flow of people dropping off soup, sandwiches, and drinks for those forced to leave their homes. The district's Member of the House of Assembly, Anna Thistle, viewed the devastation from a helicopter and promised government help.

By late evening, a partial evacuation order had been expanded to include the entire community of about 900. The sewer system had failed, the water supply was thought to be contaminated, and more flooding was feared. Most people spent the night with friends and relatives in neighbouring communities or at the Beaumont Hamel Armouries in nearby Grand Falls-Windsor, which the Canadian Red Cross had readied with cots, food, and other necessities. Firefighters and other volunteers stayed behind to monitor water levels and to heat homes not hit by the flood.

Overnight and on Sunday, -20 C temperatures froze solid the water covering at least a third of the town, encasing buildings and vehicles in ice and making the flooded area resemble a giant outdoor skating rink. Blocks of ice smashed windows and doors of some buildings. The flooding also worsened, reaching and reducing to one lane the Trans-Canada Highway, which runs through the town and links the eastern and western parts of the province.

These pictures of Badger were taken early in the flood and given to my wife and me by a friend of ours, Helen Saunders, our children's kindergarten teacher.

For more photos of the Badger flood, see:

• the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador's Town of Badger State of Emergency
• Special Feature: Badger Flood at Grand Falls-Windsor's Advertiser (Adobe Reader plugin required)

The copyright of the article THE BADGER FLOOD in Canadian Tourism is owned by Mary M. Alward. Permission to republish THE BADGER FLOOD in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.