Thursday, 21 May 2015
Hurricane Beth 1971 Dartmouth Flood Footage
Having been first captivated by this footage during the Sullivan's Pond Outdoor Movie Night for Dartmouth's 250th Anniversary (in the year 2000), I now have the special opportunity to share along, online, this video which depicts a fascinating event remembered by many Dartmouthians who lived through the Seventies. Hurricane Beth (August 16-18, 1971) hit Nova Scotia with a vengeance. The geography of Dartmouth, the City of Lakes, was changed forever by major flood events induced by Beth's heavy rains. As you can see in the film, many famous Dartmouth landmarks (Sullivan's Pond, Hawthorne Street, Cenotaph Park, the bowling alley, etc.) were overwhelmed by rushing water. Many people rushed to protect their personal property and to save institutions like Banook Canoe Club. My beloved grandmother told me that, as a mother of very young children, her main concern was to bring the baby food upstairs in case her Prince Albert Road home was cut off from supplies for an extended period of time. For more information on the storm, consult Environment Canada - Hurricane Beth report.
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Was on Sable Island at that time. Winds at 150 mph. Covered our transportation jeep completely with sand. Incredible when in the eye, all is calm but the ocean had waves that were incredibly strong and going every direction. Will always remember that.
ReplyDeleteMy family and I lived on Russell Street when this happened. Alot of our neighbors had flooding in their basement. We were fortunate enough this did not happen to us. The water came in through our basement door, however it went down the drain we had in the floor, about 2 feet from the door. Could not get over the destruction, esepically the downtown, Sullivans Pond areas... Will never forget, Beth. Beth was also my grandmothers name.
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