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Show 6D Lakeside Review, Wednesday, October 30, 1985 mudslide: paiofu memories Mudslide claimed homes of one dozen residents SUSAN TANNER HOLMES Review correspondent FARMINGTON Memorial '.Day, May 31, 1983, will be remembered with terror and sorrow by Farmington residents, but also with the pride of coping success- fully with difficult circumstances. ; 1 The Rudd Creek mudslide - claimed the homes of 12 of the I citys 6,000 residents and the in- -; cident touched all of Farmington. The winter of 83 had produced mcord amounts of precipitation, and an unusually cold spring allowed a tremendous accumulation of snow on top of soil that was already saturated with water. Then the weather changed radi- cally. A week before Memorial Day the temperatures shot into the 90s. First Davis Creek flooded, then a few days later Steed Creed followed, and finally Rudd Creek sent a wall of mud rumbling into-hous- es below. Farmington City Manager Max Forbush witnessed the sight. "The earth was trembling, shaking, and I looked out over a sea Basin ensures control and we were on Rudd creek and getting it under control. I was exhausted and went home to get a little rest. We were going as a family to put flowers on the graves, said Forbush. Rest was not to come, however. Forbush was immediately called to return and look at a mudslide up Rudd Canyon. Police were be-- t safety SUSAN TANNER HOLMES Review correspondent ginning to evacuate the area and Forbush had to pull rank' to get through the lines. He finally got to First East beyond 600 North and up the road to the reservoirs to find out what brought thousands of cubic feet of mud down upon the residents of Farmington, they wondered if it would ever be safe to live near the slide area. Restoration and safety were paramount in the minds of the mayor, city council and city staff. They wanted to move forward, plan and get a clean-u- p and debris-basi- n program under was going on. Forbush saw the sickening sight. Tons of mud crushing everything in itjs path. "That first night...lt was eerie, dark and black. There was no moon, and the waves of mud still kept coming' way. State and national geologists continued to warn of more mud and earth slides and the instability of the land, but no one was willing to say how much would come down at once or how large a catch .basin the city Max Forbush Farmington city manager of mud; It was like cement coming down a concrete shoot. I was sickened by the sight. I walked up to the road. It 50-fo- ot fire-bre- ak was awesome. The noise was unbelievable. There was the mudfall with rocks as big as Volkswagons. Mud was flowing clear from the top. Within hours peoples homes were destroyed, yet the strength of the residents prevailed. "There was no weeping, wailing and hair pulling, said Lyn Hiller, 252 Cobblecreek Circle, who was the Farmington LDS Stake Relief Society president. v They are real toughies here. I learned a lot. We had time. I took priceless things. It was a panickly feeling and very scary. You realize you are losing the world as youve known it. They lost their life as they knew it. ' When you have time to react you have inner control. These people had inner strength without time to react, said Mrs. Hiller. During the winter and through early spring there was concern of flooding and the police chief, h public works personnel and drove up the canyon to 'check on road slippage. We were in awe of the snow 1 It was heavy. Wed heard of problems with flooding, but during March and April we kept having an unusually cold spring, Torbush said. warmed up to the 90s and Ion May 26 the public works offi- ;cials called to say that there was flooding on Davis Creek. We had Co sandbag and clean out the .stream, Forbush recalled. - A few days later Steed Creek be- -' We mobilized all flooding. jan : city personnel for sandbagging and finally diverted Steed between dikes into Woodland park. The water kept coming and rising and the call was made to Far-- ; imingtons two LDS Church stake presidents asking for sandbaggers. The response to the call was overwhelmingly positive. The .weather continued to heat up and 'the flooding got worse. "Memorial Day, 1983, we had just gotten Steed and Davis under For--bus- ; ; -- 'It ; ! -- . Diking efforts began. The city workers blocked off the road at the old LDS Rock Chapel on Main and 300 North and Lagoon Lane, hoping to control the mud if it came. The plan would be to let it wash into an area where it might be controlled. Even though Mrs. Hillers own home was in jeopardy and her family was evacuated for four days, she could not take time out from her relief efforts. Mrs. Hiller said she remembers realizing this was something very serious. Going to the junior high and seeing those people gathering and seeing their condition, some barefoot and thinking what it would have meant to me, Mrs. Hiller said. I was outside painting when I hard this terrific cracking sound, like a train, and saw trees coming, said Ada Schaelling, one of the 12 who completely lost her home. I looked and saw the mud coming real fast. We didnt have a car. I was in my gym shoes and old paint clothes. Bookers piled us in their car. By the time we got to the comer, Sims house was off its foundation, Mrs Schaelling said. I remember one lady telling me that the thing she missed most was her make-usaid Mary Lou Lloyd, 1207 S. Main in Kaysville and the Farmington North LDS Stake Relief Society president. There was one lady who was pregnant and who had to sleep and live in the clothes she es- -' caped in. It was extremely difficult for the people, said Mrs. p, Lloyd. The first home to be completely destroyed was owned by a family on vacation. Their rock home was full of beautiful antiques. When they drove in to the junior high parking lot there was an outpouring of concern, said Mrs. Lloyd. There was never panic, although the people were anxious, they were controlled, Mrs. Lloyd said. I was amazed at the organiza- tion of the church and that they When FARMINGTON the Rudd Creek mudslide needed. Farmington residents, slogging through flowing mud, shouldered bags of sand to could handle a disaster like this so well. It was impressive. I called to place people in homes and people said yes. Ill take them, said Mrs. Hiller. I will never forget that feeling driving away in our station wagon. We knew we would never live in that house again. But we knew there was nothing else in this life that we cared about more than our family, safe in the car, said Karen Sims, 356 N. 200 E, who lost her home. It was coming to grips with what counts. At that moment we decided other things didnt matter or care. My husband and I never felt closer. We didnt have anything else but each other, The flood of water and mud finally ended on June 10, 1983, but the flood of paperwork that inundated residents and city officials is still going on. The debris basin was built with state and federal funds. Farmington City purchased nine pieces of property and began construction of what is now known as the Rudd Creek debris basin with state and federal funds. The basin was designed to prevent damage to homes and property in the event of another flood and mudslide in the canyon. If a mud flow did in fact go over the spillway, a second line of defense was designed. Mud would be guided with large dirt burms down 600 N. Purchase of the land and building of the basin cost over $ million. By comparison, the entire 1983 city budget was about $700,000. Farmington still has not the lost Rudd Creek water supply. The entire community worked together to develop a workable emergency preparedness plan. This plan has been used as a model for other cities from all over the U.S. Built to hold 70 to 80,000 cubic yards of debris, officials hoped that it would never have to be tested. But in 1984 when rains and snow melt brought 12,000 cubic yards of mud down the mountain, the basin held and the mud and rocks were contained. protect homes from the mud that flowed down Rudd Creek in 1933. write how thankful I was for my home. For a time the Schaellings lived with their married daughter and her six children; then they rented a house. But before their new home could be completed the rented home was sold and they were moved into a basement apartment. I just sat in the cold basement and cried. We moved four times before we got in our home, she city council members would work 24 hours. The mayor and city council put in hours and hours and didnt get a cent of pay or much credit. The physical flood ended June 10. The paper flood is still ongoing," he said. So many people think we came out wonderfully. They have said, It pays to be in the flood. They think we came out smelling like a rose, said one victim who lost everything. -- 1 ed said. We have a little girl about 4 They just dont understand what we lost. Most people are wonderful, but the few make it hard, he said. While only 12 homes were destroyed, many more people lost said Mrs. Sims. valuables, precious keepsakes and As the mud and the flood conproperty in the floods as well as tinued the mayor, city council the slide. You lose everything and then members and city staff monitored have to turn around and start all the streams. That first night I was shaking over. Nothing was covered by inand cold, said Forbush. It was surance. We wondered where we eerie, dark and black. There was were going to turn and what we no moon, and the waves of mud were going to do. We were thankstill kept coming. ful we werent around, said EiThe Utah National Guard was leen Tippetts, who, with her called in to help safeguard the arhusband and three children, was ea. on vacation when the disaster hit. We had to evacuate people Beginning again wasnt easy for and then let them go back in. It any of the families. was hard on them an hard on Moving from one place to anWe didnt other. The kids on the move. The us, said Forbush. know when the next surge would emotional strain and stress. Our come. kids talk alot about it, said Mrs. Everyone was emotionally Tippetts. The most difficult thing for the drained: it was tough, he said. From the 31st until the fifth of Schaellings was, Being uprooted June we worked on three or four and not having a place to go. I hours a sleep a day. Many times was never one to worship worldly city personnel, the mayor and things, but in my journal I would and it was hard for her to deal with it. Shed think about our animals and pets. When we were headed toward the evacuation center, she wanted her blanket, said Mrs.. Sims. When they got to the grandparents house, she went and found an old used rubber doll with one arm missing and a leg hanging off. She felt akin to that doll and associated with the doll. She is more sensitive and cautious. She still loves that doll, said Mrs. Sims. Time is beginning the healing process, but the disaster is still vivid in everyones memory. T r ?' t V t' hjf if. y- - $ 1 v . ,. ..... ' ... rfc Y ' :. i ? . f v. 4- tW 5 v ' - if ' c tr ; n.rtitfifffurr v'vV. m (rr 1 t 3 , Jj , ,u , nw T il i V I JA ' Wu . V .V I, kN S pi,h it v twO ' eaves of many hous- - houses in the neighborhood were com-lik- e this one on 100 East. Other pletely destroyed and the area east of Mud flowed to the es, .... 100 East and north of 550 North was excavated for a debris basin. The Utah National Guard built a dike along 500 North in Farmington, to keep the mud and water (low contained 1 ' ; : j |