On May 31, 1948, the Columbia River inundated Kennewick and
Richland in the worst flood in the history of those two cities. The
heaviest damage was in Kennewick where much of the business
district lies close to the shore of the Columbia. Richland suffered
less damage because the city is not as flat near the shore. After
about two weeks, the floodwaters receded, leaving behind $50
million in damage. There was one death.
The Winter Snow of 1948
There was unusually heavy snowfall over the winter, and rivers in
seven states and in British Columbia dumped their spring run-off
into the Columbia River. Grand Coulee Dam and the much smaller Rock
Island Dam were the only obstacles between the floodwaters and the
low-lying land in Benton County. The water flowed virtually
unchecked.
In Kennewick, several feet of water covered an area about two miles
long and a half-mile wide, paralleling Avenue C. The most damage in
Richland occurred at the Hanford Works Transportation Labor Yard,
located near today's Shilo Inn. Though workers were able to remove
equipment and furnishings before the water came, the buildings and
yards were flooded. The Richland "Wye" area, a sparsely inhabited
area along Highway 410 between Richland and Kennewick, was
completely submerged.
Several Kennewick businesses relocated into a single large
structure while their buildings were repaired and cleaned up. Each
business contributed to the erection of a frame and paper building
at the corner of Benton and Front streets. A local carpenters'
union partitioned the building into individual stalls. Ballaines
Inc. participated in the venture as the flood waters reached the
second floor of its building. Hamberg Furniture and Appliance Co.,
Jim's Sports Shop, Bunch-Finnigan, Bill's Barber Shop, Don McNeil's
Café, and Kennewick Department Store were all partially submerged
by water.
The one death was a 19-year-old man named Vernal Nield. He was
cleaning out his family's flooded-out restaurant, and was
electrocuted when a live wire fell into the water in which he was
standing.
The Miracle Mile
In Richland, men worked around the clock to build a mile-long dike,
12 feet tall by 10 feet wide, around downtown Richland. The dike,
made of gravel, sand, and riprap, became known as the Miracle Mile
since it was built so fast and in such a spirit of cooperation
among diverse government and business groups. The dike kept
residential areas and the hospital district high and dry and saved
the sewer system from contamination.
Water over Highway 410 barred residents from easy access between
Richland and Kennewick. To pass from one town to another it was
necessary to drive a circuitous route through Benton City, a
one-way trip of about 22 miles in contrast to the usual two-mile
trip. Even that route was blocked for several days when the Yakima
River overflowed its banks and covered Van Giesen Street, the main
road to Benton City.
The Atomic Energy Commission, which had taken charge of the Hanford
Works in 1947, took immediate steps to rebuild Highway 410. The
Commission built a new bridge and raised the original roadbed three
feet above the level of the flood. A month later, the four-lane
blacktop highway finally reopened.
By mid-June the river returned to its banks, but for the
Kennewick businesses along Avenue C, there was much work to do
before they could reopen. Buildings had to be cleaned and
restocked. Sewer lines, telephone lines, and electrical hookups
needed repair. Pest control kept busy spraying for insects that
infested all the standing water. National Guard troops from
Prosser, Yakima, and Walla Walla assisted with disaster relief,
traffic control, and flood abatement. By mid-July most businesses
had reopened their buildings along Avenue C.
Overall, the flood caused $50 million worth of damage. Most of
the businesses that had been located in the Richland Wye moved to
other locations to avoid being destroyed by future floods. The
Miracle Mile blocked any future flood from reaching downtown
Richland. A new dike along the river in downtown Kennewick
protected that area from floods.
By Elizabeth Gibson, March 31, 2004
Source: HistoryLink.org
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