Just after midnight nearly thirty years ago on November 6, 1977, the Kelly Barnes Dam failed, releasing 176 million gallons of water just above Toccoa Falls College campus in northern Georgia. Thirty-nine people lost their lives. Sadly, twenty of those deaths were children.
Part II - A Wall of Water, Get Out!
The sound of thunder and heavy rain filled much of the day on Saturday, November 5, 1977. By Saturday night some three and and half inches of rain had already been recorded prior to Saturday night.Most of the residences on the campus, both families and students, were located within a stones throw of the creek. There had been no cause of alarm that night as families and students went to bed. While security guards on campus were concerned about the rising water in the creek before midnight, their main attention was on a bridge across the creek in the heart of the campus. Soon after midnight, guards were concerned that this bridge was going to wash out.
Suddenly, however, water in the creek turned a Georgia clay color red, explosions reverberated through the valley, and the guards reported a wave of water five feet high. The dam had given away. With the dam gone, some 700,000 tons of water raced 150 miles per hour down the creek through the campus. What followed was beyond words, both too many words and not the right words for this small blog post to describe the unfolding tragedy. Here is one story out of hundreds that night.
Eldon Elsberry, a maintenance worker for the college, was outside near the creek when he saw what he described a silent, but massive five foot rolling wall of water. With water above his boots, Eldon jumped into his truck which was only a few feet away. Surprisingly, the truck was able to still drive, however, soon water pushed the truck sideways. Eldon realized he would have to jump out of the truck, so he took a big breath, jumped, and was swallowed by the water...
"At that point I (Eldon) ran into something on the bottom, It split my lip and loosened my teeth and as I came up, I was caught again. I was standing up, but still underwater, and glued to a rock. Then I came loose again, so I started swimming. I was short of air but I knew I was close to the surface. When I broke through I got mud and a little air then there was a terrific noise. The big gas main into the college burst.
(Eldon was able to get to safe ground) Then I remembered that Bill had said his wife and children were all sleeping. I ran for their farm house, hoping to warn them, but halfway there I saw it begin to float away.
The agony was awful I knew a man's wife and children were floating away....there were many screams, mostly from children. I stood on the bank and watched people die, but I couldn't do a thing."
-Eldon Elsberry (Quote from the book Dam Break in Georgia by Neill Foster)
The flood water made its way to Highway 17, where debris collected. Several hours would pass before the sun would reveal the devastation and ultimately the hope of a brand new day.
Tomorrow I'll conclude this series with "Part III - After the Flood." I'll show some pictures of the flood damage and a video of my recent visit to the college.
Other posts in this series:
Part I - Unseen Danger
Part III - After the Flood
