1977 — Nov 6, heavy rain, Kelly Barnes Dam Failure, Toccoa Falls Bible College, GA– 39

–39 Clarke. “The Johnstown Flood: the Worst Dam Failure in U.S.…” ABC News, 3-2- 2007.
–39 History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, November 6, 1977. Dam Gives Way in GA
–39 Sanders and Sauer, “Kelly Barnes Dam Flood of Nov 6, 1977, near Toccoa, GA” 1979.
–39 US DHS. Dams Sector: Estimating Loss of Life for Dam Failure Scenarios. 2011, p. 78.
–39 USGS. Summary of Significant Floods in the US…PR…VI, 1970 Through 1989. 2008.
–38 Ludlum. The American Weather Book. 1982, p. 82.
–37 Gastonia Gazette (NC). “Flood From Dam Break Fatal to 37,” Nov 7, 1977, pp. 1 & 5.
–35 Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). 1982, pp. 308-309.

Narrative Information

DHS: “Kelly Barnes Dam was located in northeast Georgia, approximately 0.5 stream miles upstream from Toccoa Falls and 2.5 air miles northwest of the City of Toccoa. The dam was earthfill over a rock crib. It was originally built for power generation, but in the years before failure was being used for recreational purposes.

“Kelly Barnes Dam failed at approximately 1:20 am on Sunday, November 6, 1977. The dam was completed in 1899 with subsequent modifications. Parts of the dam were 78 years old when it failed. Failure of the dam was caused by heavy rains resulting in saturation of the embankment which led to downstream slope failure.

“The dam had a height of 40 feet and the reservoir volume at the time of failure was approximately 630 acre-feet. The drainage area upstream of the dam was 4.6 square miles (Atlas HA-613).

“‘Two volunteer firemen, associated with the [Toccoa Falls Bible] college, were sufficiently concerned to examine the dam shortly after midnight, November 6. They could see nothing. However, continued rain caused them to become alarmed. They were warning the residents in the flood plain below the dam of the potential for trouble when the dam broke” (USCOLD, 1977: 14). Other information indicates that the observation was made about 10:30 pm and the volunteer fire chief reportedly told a fellow fireman, ‘It’s as normal as ever. I’ve seen it much higher many times’ (Foster: 36). Dam failure warnings were not issued to the people at risk. Some environmental cues existed, but these did not give most people time to get out of harm’s way during the dark of night. Two volunteer firemen died in the flooding and immediate family members of two other volunteer firemen also died.

“A peak discharge of 24,000 ft3/s occurred near Forrest Hall college dorm, where the 10-year peak is approximately 1,175 ft3/s. Flooding was approximately 25 feet deep immediately downstream of the dam and 8 to 10 feet deep 1 mile downstream of the dam….

“Physical damage was confined to an area below Toccoa Falls to a path approximately 200 to 500 feet wide and 1.5 miles long. Nine houses, 18 trailer homes, and two college buildings were demolished. Four houses and five college buildings were damaged (Sanders, 1979: 2). The number of people at risk was approximately 250. There were 39 fatalities, all of which occurred in the first 1.5 miles downstream of the dam. Three of the deceased had been in Forrest Hall, 18 in permanent residences, 17 in trailer homes, and a volunteer fireman who did not live in the flooded area (Foster, 1978: 157 and Toccoa Record, 1977)….

“Although only three people died in Forrest Hall dormitory (with approximately 75 occupants at the time of the flood), there was an average of approximately one fatality per flooded trailer and more than one fatality per flooded permanent residence. In 5 residences at ‘residence row,’ where the dam failure increased flood levels by 10 to 12 feet from pre-failure levels, 13 of the 22 people in the homes when the dam failure flood arrived died in these homes or in the process of escaping….” (US DHS. “Kelly Barnes Dam, Georgia – Failed in November 1977,” pp. 77-79 in: US DHS. Dams Sector: Estimating Loss of Life for Dam Failure Scenarios. 2011.)

History.com: “Ninety miles north of Atlanta, the Toccoa (Cherokee for “beautiful”) Falls Dam was constructed of earth across a canyon in 1887, creating a 55-acre lake 180 feet above the Toccoa Creek. In 1911, R.A. Forrest established the Christian and Missionary Alliance College along the creek below the dam. According to legend, he bought the land for the campus from a banker with the only $10 dollars he had to his name, offering God’s word that he would pay the remaining $24,990 of the purchase price later.

“Sixty-six years later on November 5, a volunteer fireman inspected the dam and found everything in order. However, just hours afterward, in the early morning of November 6, the dam suddenly gave way. Water thundered down the canyon and creek, approaching speeds of 120 miles per hour.

“Although there was a tremendous roar when the dam broke, the residents of the college had no time to evacuate. Within minutes, the entire community was slammed by a wave of water. One woman managed to hang onto a roof torn from a building and ride the wave of water for thousands of feet. Her three daughters, however, were not so fortunate: They were among the 39 people who lost their lives in the flood.” (History.com. Nov 6, 1977. “Dam Gives Way in Georgia.”)

Sanders and Sauer: “The Kelly Barnes Dam on Toccoa Creek near Toccoa, Ga., failed at approximately 1:30 a.m., November 6, 1977, after a period of intensive rain. Thirty-nine people were killed and damages were estimated at $2.8 million by the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development….

“Kelly Barnes Dam was about 400 feet long, 20 feet wide at the crest, and 40 feet high at the maximum section. The dam was concave upstream….

“The history of the dam as determined by the Federal Investigative Board (1977) is summarized as follows: The dam went through various stages of development, first as a rock crib dam and then with subsequent stages as an earth dam. The rock crib dam was completed about 1899 to impound water for a small hydroelectric plant located near the foot of the falls. About 1937, the Toccoa Falls Bible Institute, which later became Toccoa Falls College, was interested in developing a more dependable power source and decided to build an earth dam over the rock crib dam with equipment provided by a local manufacturer.

“After World War II, the earthfill was raised to a point where an earth spillway on the left side of the valley (facing downstream) could be utilized, and a low point on the rim on the right side away from the dam would serve as a secondary spillway during high flows. This installation served as a power source for the Toccoa Falls Bible Institute until 1957. At that time, power generation was stopped but the lake continued to be used for recreation….

“Flood profile.- Water-surface profiles, determined from a field survey of high-water marks left by the flood of November 6…[show] Average depths in the main channel above Toccoa Falls were about 17 feet. Depths in the vicinity of the college ranged from about 21 feet at Forrest Hall Dormitory to about 18 feet at the trailer village. Depths downstream from Georgia Highway 17 averaged about 15 feet….

“Approximately nine houses, 18 house trailers, two college buildings, and many motor vehicles were completely demolished. Four houses and five college buildings were damaged by water. Only two houses downstream from Georgia Highway 17 were damaged.

“The embankment at Toccoa Falls Drive, the oxidation pond above Georgia Highway 17, and parts of the main channel were scoured. Two bridges on Toccoa Falls Drive and the culvert at County Farm Road were completely destroyed. The highway embankments at Georgia Highway 17 were washed out at both ends of the bridge, and one of the bridge abutments at Highview Road was destroyed. The water-supply pipe for the city of Toccoa was broken and the city’s water supply was contaminated for several days.” (Sanders and Sauer, “Kelly Barnes Dam Flood of November 6, 1977, near Toccoa, Georgia.” U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Investigations Atlas HA-613, 1979)

USGS: “Rainfall of 5 to 7 in. caused severe flooding on small streams in northern Georgia on November 2-6 and eventually caused the failure of the Kelly Barnes Dam in Toccoa, Georgia. The dam failed at 1:30 a.m. on November 6, resulting in a 25-ft wave of water rushing down the narrow canyon toward the Toccoa Falls Bible College. The campus was inundated within minutes. One dormitory had 8 ft of water on the ground floor. A trailer park associated with the college was destroyed as 10 ft of water rushed through it. Thirty-nine deaths and $2.8 million in damages occurred during this flash flood (Paulson and others, 1991 ).” (USGS. Summary of Significant Floods in the United States, PR, and the VI, 1970-1989. 2008.)

Newspaper

AP: “Toccoa, Ga. (AP) – – The campus of a small, northeastern Georgia college lay in ruins after an earthen dam broke and sent torrents of water rushing through the sleeping community of Toccoa. At least 37 persons, including 20 children, were killed in flooding that followed the dam break Sunday morning. Two others were reported missing….

“Gov, George Busbee inspected the damage and said later that the dam that broke above Toccoa Falls was one of 84 such earthen embankments in Georgia that had been declared high-hazard dams by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The hazard designation does not mean the dams are structurally unsafe but that if they broke, damage would be significant, a corps spokesman said…

“Busbee said federal and state inspections were being made of other dams in northern Georgia to prevent another disaster. First lady Rosalynn Carter, a Georgia native, flew lo the community from Washington Sunday. She told Toccoa’s 9,000 residents and the Bible College students that President Carter had promised federal assistance.

“Crews worked into the night searching for victims and cleaning up debris. The community was without electricity or natural gas service because of damage to major distribution lines. Water was scarce, some of it carried into the city by neighboring residents. Officials said they expected
the college to remain closed for at least a week.

“Weakened by two days of heavy rain, the dam — which held back tons of water in an 80-acre lake above the scenic Toccoa Falls — gave way about 1:30 a.m.

“Picks up speed. The water picked up speed as it dropped over the 186-foot falls and smashed Into the valley, demolishing or severely damaging at least a dozen houses and some 15 mobile homes. Most of the damage occurred in the low-lying campus housing area.

“Three volunteer firemen also were killed. They were in the area to warn residents that a creek meandering through campus was near flood stage. ‘There was this awful screaming and the ripping of metal,” said Bill Stacy, 10, who lived in a mobile home with his parents, two brothers and a sister. “It is a miracle, but we all got out, and my parents helped hunt for the bodies later.”

“The dam, built by the college about 1940, was last inspected three days ago, said Bible College president Kenn Opperman. He did not say who conducted the inspection. Opperman said the only previous problem in hi four years in office occurred about a year ago, when water spilled over the dam and caused some $100,000 damage, mostly to roads and land.” (Gastonia Gazette (NC). “Flood From Dam Break Fatal to 37,” November 7, 1977, pp. 1 & 5.)

Sources

Clarke, Connie. “The Johnstown Flood: the Worst Dam Failure in U.S. History — The Kaloko Dam Disaster Has Many Antecedents.” ABC News, March 2, 2007. Accessed at: http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=2918360&page=1

Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1982.

Gastonia Gazette, NC. “Flood From Dam Break Fatal to 37,” November 7, 1977, pp. 1 & 5. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=77852213

History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, November 6, 1977. “Dam Gives Way in Georgia.” Accessed at: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&displayDate=11/06&categoryId=disaster

Ludlum, David M. The American Weather Book. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1982.

Sanders, C. L. and Vernon B. Sauer. Kelly Barnes Dam Flood of Nov 6, 1977, near Toccoa, GA. United States Geological Survey Hydrologic Atlas 613. 1979; webpage modified 11-30-2016. Accessed 5-21-2020 at: https://pubs.usgs.gov/ha/ha613/

United States Department of Homeland Security. Dams Sector: Estimating Loss of Life for Dam Failure Scenarios. Washington, DC: DHS, September 2011, 94 pages. Accessed 12-2-2017 at: https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=726315

United States Geological Survey. Summary of Significant Floods in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, 1970 Through 1989 (Water-Supply Paper 2502). USGS Kansas Water Science Center, Sep 17, 2008. Accessed 11-12-2016 at: http://ks.water.usgs.gov/pubs/reports/wsp.2502.contents.html#HDR1