California Flood

1964
(Reference to Flood of 1862)

Cameron Chugg, Jake McKean, Andrew Miller, Eliana Ramirez

Nunez, Clay Riggs, Whitney Scott

Introduction
The 1964 flood in California

was located at the South

Fork of the Eel River.
This flood occurred right

around Christmas time

almost exactly 9 years after
a flood occurred at the same
spot.
During the Civil War

California recorded the most

devastating recorded flood
in their state history from
1861-1862.

Location

When?
Date: December of

1964

How Big?

The published peak discharge

determined by rating-curve
extension was 752,000 ft3/s
at a stage of 72.0 ft and
should be rated poor

Drainage area was 3,113

square miles

How Bad?

Ten towns were

obliterated with dozens
of others damaged; at
least 20 bridges were
destroyed, and some,
including Miranda and
South Fork, were never
rebuilt.[38] The heavy
damage was due not
only to the water, but to
the huge amount of
sediment and debris
swept down the river,
including millions of
board feet of timber.

Measurements

The deepest flood waters

were nearly 70 feet (21
m) above the normal river
level.

In 1964, a severe
Pineapple Express event,
known as the Christmas
flood of 1964, brought
heavy rains to coastal
northern California. Over
21 inches of rain was
recorded in a 48 hour
period.

Eel reached a peak of

936,000 cu ft./s

Physical Features
The clear cutting on

the slopes above bull

creek are likely the
feature alteration that
led to the demise of
the slope and causing
the most damage
during the flood.

Processes

The clear cutting of the

slopes led to the damage
of the two stream
confluence. 3 storms
contributed to the flood
waters. Crest occurred on
December 23. Unstable air
masses and high
southwest winds also
added to the already
degrading situation. A
peak discharge of 752,000
ft3/sec occurred with a
gage height of 72 feet
from flood banks.

Effects

The town of Weott was

washed away, 9 others
were destroyed with
dozens of others that got
damaged

Water reached record

breaking heights

Severe damage to homes,

buildings, and streets

Its hard to tell how many

people died because the
event covered such large
regions

Previous and Subsequent Events

Flood was cause by

three large storms in

central Oregon
Eel river was not

known to have
flooded before 1955
Because it was such a

vast event, some

mudslides occurred

Factors That May Have Increased

or Decreased Intensity
Not only did the

water from the

flood affect the
outcome of the
homes and
buildings
damage, but
also the amount
of sedimentmany debris and
rocks and
timber were
carried in the
flow of water

Interesting Scientific Facts

Landslides, washouts, and

streambed and bank erosion

contributed to the
sedimentation and further
compounded the floodwater
damage.
The severe flooding in 1964

did not relate to a single storm,

but rather a series of storms
between December 19, 1964,
and January 31, 1965.

Economic Impacts

The flood caused $239 million

in damage in the northern
region of California.

Approximately 7,900 families

suffered losses in the region.

Some 2,400 residences, 400

small businesses and more
than 1,100 farm buildings were
destroyed or heavily damaged.

An estimated 8,400 head of

cattle were killed.

Casualties
24 people died during

the storms.
34 counties in the

Northern California
regionwere declared as
disaster areas.
Every single stream

gauge on the Eel River

was destroyed.

Historical Impacts
All homes in lower

area were washed

away. When rebuilding, all the new
homes were built up
on the hill, this
changing the location
of residence for future
posterity opposed to
the past location
where generations
lived previously.

Interesting Facts
This flood is called the The Christmas

flood of 1964 because it took place

between December 18, 1964 and
January 7, 1965, spanning the
Christmas holiday.
The combination of heavy rain,
melting snow, and frozen ground
caused extreme runoff, erosion and
flooding.
It was a classic rain-on-snow event,
said Marc Stewart a hydrologist for
the U.S. Geological Survey. In
addition to the rain, there were
already several inches of water from
the melting snow, so it was a big
runoff event across a wide area.
The flood caused record-breaking
peak streamflows, transported large
amounts of sediment, and inflicted
extensive flood damage. However, in
many areas storage in reservoirs and
operation of flood-control facilities
prevented far greater damage.

Eyewitness Account

Shirley Foster thought she was

used to floods because she grew
up on the Russian River and they
had a flood every winter. In
1964, Shirley and her husband
started to set up their first real
home. They planned to head
south to spend Christmas with
Mikes family on Friday, but they
had to stay until Saturday night
because Mike was scheduled to
chaperone a dance. The rain that
came Friday night was very
heavy. The river started to rise
and by noon the next day
everyone started to be a bit
concerned. They put some
important things in the back of
their truck just in case they
needed to leave in a hurry.

Eyewitness Account

Their pasture was becoming a lake

and when the water suddenly burst
through a crack between the floor
and the wall in their home, they
started getting more of their things
out of the house. They spent that
night at their landlords home and
went to sleep thinking that the
water was going to drop. The next
morning, they found that a
landslide had careened down the
hill and almost completely buried
the home. She remembers sitting
on a rock pile in the middle of the
living room cleaning pots and pans
that were dug out of the kitchen.
After everything that happened,
she was amazed that they actually
stayed in Humboldt County and at
South Fork with the experience that
they had.

Conclusion

This flood, which happened in December of

1964, was disastrous and was brought on
by over 21 inches of rain recorded in a 48hour period. Ten towns were obliterated
with dozens of others damaged; at least
20 bridges were destroyed, and some were
never rebuilt. The heavy damage was due
not only to the water, but to the huge
amount of sediment and debris swept
down the river, including millions of board
feet of timber. The drainage area was
3,113 square miles and the deepest
floodwaters were nearly 70 feet above the
normal river level. Eel River reached a
peak of 936,000 cu. ft./s. and 24 people
died during the storms. Thirty-four
counties in Northern California were
declared as disaster areas.

References

San Joaquin Historian: The Great California Flood of 1861-1862

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=25896
Google Earth
https://app.box.com/embed/preview/t4spakku5codm1xqzgpy?theme=dark

http://or.water.usgs.gov
www.times-standard.com/
http://www.times-standard.com/events/20141218/remembering-those-who-d
ied-on-the-north-coast-during-the-1964-flood
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_flood_of_1964
http://or.water.usgs.gov/flood64/
Southwestern States Flood and Drought Summaries:
https://app.box.com/embed/preview/41fbpeve0f923ljtq51c?theme=dark
https://mendonews.wordpress.com/2014/12/11/largest-storm-to-hit-eel-ri
ver-basin-since-1964-christmas-flood-what-does-this-mean-remembering-t
he-1964-eel-river-humboldt-and-mendocino-county-flood
/
http://www.snipview.com/q/Christmas_flood_of_1964
http://www.times-standard.com/events/20141218/i-thought-i-was-used-to-fl
oods-shirleyfoster
http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_top_story/the-christmas-flood-of-