Disaster Hits Quebec Province
By “Awake!” correspondent in Canada
ONE of the worst catastrophes ever to hit the Province of Quebec occurred on the evening of May 4, 1971, at about 11 p.m. Within a matter of minutes a huge crater one mile long, a quarter of a mile wide and about one hundred feet deep appeared in the new section of Saint-Jean Vianney, engulfing some forty homes and thirty-one persons. It was a nightmare that will not soon be forgotten by the people of this village of some 1,300 inhabitants, to the northeast of Quebec City.
A Bus Driver Helps Save Lives
Mr. Jules Girard of nearby Saint-Ambroise, who operates a bus service for the employees of the Alcan Company, was the first person to become aware of the disaster. He was driving about twenty men home from work when he noticed what he thought to be a small stream of water, some four to five feet wide, running across the road. Then, suddenly, the front wheels of his bus were suspended, overhanging the stream. He immediately tried to open the bus door, but without success. He shouted to all the men to leave the bus through the emergency door at the back. No sooner had he stepped out himself, being the last one to leave, than the bus suddenly disappeared. It dropped some 100 to 150 feet into a great chasm that had opened up.
The noise that could be heard sounded like a huge river. There was no time to lose. Many in the neighborhood were already asleep; others were watching ice hockey on TV, but none were aware that houses were completely disappearing into the huge crater, now getting bigger and bigger. Almost immediately there was a power failure, with downed hydro wires flashing in the darkness. Girard and his bus passengers ran shouting and knocking on doors, telling the people to evacuate quickly. Some seventy-five persons owe their lives to the quick thinking of this bus driver and his passengers.
During those few short minutes, houses were tumbling into the engulfing crater. Shouts and cries could be heard from those within them. Even a child’s voice was heard shouting “Telephone! Telephone!” as if asking for someone to phone for help. Some persons tried to flee in their cars, but they too were engulfed.
A State of Shock
People evacuated from the disaster area to the nearby Kenogami Memorial Center were in a state of shock and terror. One man had seen his wife and child engulfed in front of his eyes and could do nothing to help.
Another man relates what he saw before leaving his home: “The ground was shaking very hard and I barely had time to save my family. It was not a hole we saw, but a real crater one hundred feet deep. It was terrible to hear the cries and howling coming from the ravine below and it was impossible for us to do anything to save the people who were disappearing under this muddy soil . . .”
A woman said: “I have lost my house but I am safe and sound and that is what counts. I thought that earthquakes like this could happen only in other places. Now I know that catastrophes can happen wherever men are.”
On the eve of the disaster a man had purchased a piece of land in Saint-Jean Vianney; the following day it disappeared into the pit. Possessions offered no security when disaster struck.
Experts at Work
The Natural Resources Department (Ministère des Richesses Naturelles) of the Province of Quebec was immediately called to the scene to examine the situation and try to determine the cause of the disaster. According to reports, with which Mayor Lauréat Lavoie agrees, “there were three distinct tremors.” Geologist and engineer Mr. Marc Tanguay of the Ministère des Richesses Naturelles confirmed that a crater covering 500,000 square feet was formed.
There is controversy about the cause of the disaster. Earthquake tremors were recorded that day at Laval University in Quebec City, and this may have been responsible for the movement of the earth. Mayor Lavoie believes that a spring overflow of underground water streams could have eaten the earth away and finally resulted in its giving way completely.
The ground in the area of Saint-Jean Vianney is made up in part of a surface layer of sand on top of clay that is 135 feet deep in some places. The torrent of the Rivière aux Vases became so great that we could still see the discoloration from the muddy clay on the trunks of the trees along the river. In its overflow it swept away an almost new bridge into the Saguenay River.
During the first few days after the disaster the village was invaded by curious people, residents coming back to claim their belongings, numerous reporters and even looters. Roadblocks were erected to prevent unauthorized persons and curious sightseers from entering the village. A Central Control Headquarters was set up at the town’s Municipal Building.
The Canadian Armed Forces supplied helicopters that were used to lower men into the crater to see if there were any survivors. No human life was found in that sea of mud. A lonely goldfish swimming in its bowl in an empty house was the only sign of life in this huge pit!
The Civil Protection people, working hand in hand with other authorities, were called upon to feed, clothe and lodge the two hundred displaced families. Truckloads of food and clothing soon arrived from different parts of the province and from various organizations. Arrangements were made to establish immediately a trailer camp in a schoolyard. The installation of thirty-five trailers with water, electricity and sewers was finished in a matter of three days.
The Natural Resources Department engineers and geologists are presently undertaking drilling operations in the area, first of all to ascertain the solidity of the ground as well as to find a place to relocate the houses remaining near the huge crater.
Many organizations have set up funds for the victims of Saint-Jean Vianney, where the total loss is estimated at well over $2,000,000. No doubt money will help to a certain extent, but no amount of money will ever replace the lives of loved ones that perished or erase from the minds of the survivors the agony they suffered.
At least a dozen similar tragedies have occurred in Canada over the years. However, the disaster in Saint-Jean Vianney stands as one of the worst in the loss of lives and property. It is obvious that man still has much to learn about the earth on which he lives. To cope with forces that so easily overwhelm him, he needs guidance from one who is greater than man.