After a cold and snowy September in 1940, rain fell hard on Squamish and the Squamish River swelled over the bank. The rainfall came on suddenly in mid-October and five inches accumulated in 24 hours, according to an interview on the Pemberton Museum’s website.
Many buildings downtown, including Newport Hotel, the fire hall, the post office and the local drug store, were flooded. In the days after, people paddled in canoes to get around town.
“To make matters worse farmers were just bringing in the last of the summer’s harvest and basic food and livestock losses after the flood were severe. The following year saw an extended drought and grass production was poor and livestock losses continued. There was no flood relief for families…” said Brenda McLeod on the museum website.
