Viewpoints: Letters / Opinions
THE 1967 FAIRBANKS FLOOD
By James M. Eagan
July 05, 2014
Saturday PM
Just finished reading The 1967 Fairbanks Flood by June Allen which tells about how the people of Fairbanks managed so well during the flood of 1967. That is not exactly the way I remember it and I was there. The mention of one critical aspect of the story is conspicuous only by its absence. Were it not for the heavy equipment and volunteer efforts of personnel from both Fort Wainwright and Eielson AFB, the city of Fairbanks and nearby communities such as North Pole would have been disaster areas until at least the next spring.
It was the only time during my two year tour up there that the locals treated us with any respect or friendliness. After we managed to get the flooding problems mitigated in record time, soldiers and airmen were again relegated to the category of unwelcome visitors.
The massive emergency assistance provided by the military deserved some acknowledgement in your story!
James M. Eagan
Rochester, New York
About: "As a young airman (Security Police) I was stationed at Eielson for a 22 month period which included the time of the great flood. I spent far too many hours "
Received June 25, 2014
- Published July 05, 2014
Related Feature Article:
THE 1967 FAIRBANKS FLOOD; A Celebrating State Holds Its Breath By JUNE ALLEN - It was raining in Fairbanks. Ordinarily the broad valleys and mountains of Interior Alaska enjoy long hours of sunshine during the too-short summer season. In August, the daylight hours shorten noticeably and the white birch copses glow golden against a deepening blue sky, hinting at the end of the seasonal cycle. Sometimes a few wet summer weeks will come along, nothing alarming. But in early August of 1967 the sky was dismally gray, the rain drizzled down - and the level of the Chena River was slowly rising. In July of 1967 Fairbanks had received 3.34 inches of rain instead of the normal 1.84 inches. Modern Fairbanks had seen high water before and while there had been a minor flood in 1948 and another back in 1937, no one was terribly worried. It was nothing like the stories of the early years of the 20th century when the insignificant Chena caused big problems. - More...
SitNews - August 07, 2003
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