In the 1980s the Whistler Question began posing a question to three to six people and publishing their responses under “Whistler’s Answers” (not to be confused with the Whistler Answer). Each week, we’ll be sharing one question and the answers given back in 1984. Please note, all names/answers/occupations/neighbourhoods represent information given to the Question at the time of publishing and do not necessarily reflect the person today.
Some context for this week’s question: On Monday, October 8, houses, farmlands and roads in Pemberton were flooded, beginning when a creek broke through the dyke in Pemberton Meadows at 6:07am. Flooding continued throughout the day and about 100 people had to be evacuated to higher ground, some to the Pemberton United Church basement. The flood was on the wane by Tuesday, though more rain was in the forecast. There was no flooding in Whistler, though uprooted trees did plug up the Cheakamus River on the Tuesday and cause the level to rise high enough to endanger the sewage treatment plant temporarily.
Question: What was your reaction to the Pemberton floods?
Bill Barratt – Parks Foreman – Whistler Cay
I would say the impact was hard to feel until you saw it on television, even though it was so close. It’s hard to feel the impact unless you see it up close. But I think everyone here definitely felt a lot for what was happening – it could happen in MDC or White Gold. It was a rude awakening.
Frank Thiessen – Resident – Alpine Meadows
I think it’s unfortunate having a flood so close to Whistler, but we’ll never be affected in those kinds of terms. But if the sewage treatment plant goes… We get all these rains in the valley and a couple of years ago it washed out M Creek. This year is just came a little further north.
Peter Leriche – Waiter – Whistler Cay Heights
I’ve got experience with floods just in respect to the flood here in Christmas 1980 and the floods in Squamish. I didn’t really feel a large impact from the flood because we weren’t affected very badly by it in Whistler. I do feel the flood relief package the government is offering is not enough.