Rapid City Flood (Part 2)
By Cara Hetland
June 12, 1997

In June of 1972, Rapid City, South Dakota was hit by a flash-flood that killed 238 people and destroyed large tracts of the city as flood waters rose 10 feet high. Twenty-five years later, the memories still remain strong among the families who lost their homes and loved ones. Yet despite the large-scale horrors that befell Rapid City, the recovery effort implemented by city officials is now remembered as a success.

In the wee hours of the morning of June 10 25 years ago, people were starting to realize the devastation of the flash-flood from the night before. Houses that once rounded out a neighborhood were blocking major roads: cars were stacked like dominoes; and dead bodies were scattered in the debris. Sonya Sykora was 14 years old at the time of the flood. She says the days and weeks that followed were eerie because helicopters from the National Guard hovered overhead day and night.

IT KIND OF SEEMED LIKE WE WERE IN A WAR BECAUSE THERE WERE DEAD THINGS EVERYWHERE. DEAD PEOPLE, DEAD EVERYTHING. WE WERE ALL STANDING IN LINES ALL THE TIME TO GET FOOD, TO GET WATER, TO GET SHOTS. AND PEOPLE WERE ACTING REAL UNUSUAL BECAUSE THEY WERE GRIEVING; BECAUSE THEIR BUSINESSES WERE LOST, OR FAMILY, OR THEIR HOUSE. AND WE DIDN'T KNOW IF IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN.

For months the death toll rose daily as corpses continued to be found. The bodies of some campers were found still in sleeping bags. Most were entombed in mud - some were found 50 miles down stream. Four bodies were never found. Reverend Larry Dahlstrom says pastors assisted families in identification of bodies - but there were so many to be buried there were no funerals, only graveside services.

BUT WHEN YOU WERE OVER AT THE CEMETERY, THERE WASN'T JUST ONE EVERY 15 MINUTES, THERE WERE THREE GOING ON AT A TIME. DIFFERENT FUNERAL DIRECTORS HAD COME IN FROM ALL OVER, SO YOU WOULD SEE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT GATHERINGS OF FAMILIES BY GRAVESIDES WHERE BURIALS WERE TAKING PLACE.

Most people were not able to put closure on the death of friends and neighbors because they were too busy cleaning up to attend burials. Ron Guy's home was split in two with the garage and all of its belongings destroyed - including the central wiring system. He says it was a time when there was no guarantee the federal government would assist in disasters and he assumed he had to prepare his house to move back in.

THE THING WAS TO MUCK IT ALL OUT - CLEAN IT ALL OUT. WE EVEN TOOK THE SHEETROCK OFF THE WALLS AND EVERYTHING. GET RIGHT DOWN TO THE STUDDING AND SO FORTH, AND CLEAN IT ALL OUT SO THERE WOULDN'T BE ANY MUSTINESS OR ANYTHING ELSE AND THEN REBUILD. THAT WAS OUR GOAL.

As it turned out, the Guy house was worth something - even though it was considered condemned - because it was cleaned up. Others who left and never returned received - according to Guy - next to nothing.

Van Lindquist worked in the state planning department and was sent to Rapid City by the governor to coordinate recovery efforts.

THE MOST IMPORTANT DECISION THAT WAS MADE IN TERMS OF LONG-TERM FLOOD RECOVERY WAS MADE WITHIN THE FIRST 48 HOURS AFTER THE FLOOD. AND THAT WAS THAT THE DESIGN OF THE LONG-TERM RECOVERY WOULD BE FASHIONED AT THE HANDS OF THE LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS - NOT THE STATE AND NOT THE FEDS. IT HAD NEVER REALLY BEEN DONE THAT WAY BEFORE.

Lindquist says terms like block grants, which are common now, were being used for the first time. Small business administration loans were available to disaster victims with 1% interest and other financial assistance was made available.

Local officials involved the community to decide how to prevent a similar flood from happening again. The creek that overflowed ran through the middle of town. There were options of a series of holding dams, concrete channelization to move water through town quickly, or a greenbelt. The city council decided to buy up property and develop 100- and 500-year flood plains. No development or permanent structures are allowed in the 100-year plain and non-residential development is allowed along the 500-year plain. The park land expanded almost by 100% since 1972.

[bring up sound of driving through town]

Driving through town, you'd see a bike trail, parks, ball fields, soccer fields and an 18-hole golf course through the center of the city. Van Lindquist says it's easy for visitors to see what used to be.

ALL OF THIS AREA IN HERE YOU CAN ALMOST DEFINE THE PROPERTY LINES BY THE TREES, AND HOW THE TREES HAVE GROWN UP IN TERMS OF A ROW OF POPLAR TREES THAT WERE PLANTED. YOU CAN JUST ALMOST ENVISION THE HOUSE SETTING THERE.

Similar tree layouts can be identified at the golf course and throughout other parks.

[driving sound out]

A skating rink now stands in place of the Guy's house. Pat Guy wrote several letters to Congress and President Nixon asking for more assistance. She says in 1972 they had $25,000 left to pay on their mortgage. Once they paid that off - with interest - and borrowed money for a new house, they had an $82,000 debt. She says it seemed like they almost had to beg for assistance. It took two months before the Guy family knew if they would have a temporary trailer to live in with their six children.

WE WERE IN THE TRAILER AND WERE BUILDING A HOUSE AND EVERYTHING WAS GOING TO BE OKAY. BUT THEN THE KIDS DIDN'T HAVE ANY BICYCLES - THE KIDS DIDN'T HAVE ANY TOYS. BUT THE BIG PINCH CAME: THE OLDEST WHO WAS 13 AT THE TIME, WHEN HE WAS READY FOR COLLEGE - THE MONEY THAT WE SAVED FOR THOSE 14 YEARS HAD TO BE USED FOR BEDS AND LINEN.

Bonnie Hughes is the community development director for Rapid City. She arrived a month after the flood to help develop a recovery plan. She says people need to look at their whole package and loans at 1% interest. She says the city is better off because of the recovery effort.

I DON'T KNOW IF WE WOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TODAY TO DO WHAT WE DID 25 YEARS AGO, AND THAT'S TO GO IN AND BUY THE AMOUNT OF PROPERTY WE BOUGHT. WE BOUGHT IN EXCESS OF 1400 PARCELS OF PRIVATELY OWNED PROPERTY. PAID OVER 2200 RELOCATION CLAIMS TO VICTIMS, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THERE WOULD BE THAT KIND OF MONEY AVAILABLE TODAY.

The 25th anniversary commemoration will be one more chance to explain why the layout of the city is the way it is today rather than dwell on the devastation of the flood. Fifty percent of Rapid City's current population was not around in 1972.

Go to Flood of 1997.