COLUMBIA FALLS — The Flathead community is invited to Columbia Falls High School at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 23, to view a free showing of the documentary, "One in Five Hundred."
It tells the story of the devastating Yellowstone Floods in 2022.
Following the documentary, a panel will discuss the film and talk about being prepared for a similar flooding event that could impact the Flathead Valley in the near future.
Watch the full story below:
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, that is really true in the world of flood mitigation,” said Climate Smart Glacier Country Chairman Steve Thompson.
“1964 was the biggest flood on record in Flathead County and is very similar to in terms of the scope or the scale of the flood to what happened just three years ago in Yellowstone,” added Thompson.
Thompson is the chairman of Climate Smart Glacier Country, a nonprofit which focuses on building partnerships with local agencies to address climate challenges on the community.
“Flathead County is by far the most vulnerable county of the entire western Montana for flooding,” said Thompson.
Thompson said the flood in 1964 and a flood in 1894 in the Flathead are both considered once-in-500-year floods.
He said Flathead residents need to be prepared for the next big flood, using lessons learned from previous floods to help limit the damage.
“There’s a lot of people that were really affected in 1964; we have a lot more people living in this valley than there was in 1964.”
Hugo Sindelar is the director of “One in Five Hundred.”
He said showing his film in vulnerable communities helps residents become more flood prepared.
“The flood in Yellowstone was driven by what’s called rain on snow, so they got a lot of rain that fell on top of a snowpack and that rain melts the snow so you get more water coming down off the mountains, so anywhere you have mountains that then lead to a river and valleys you’re susceptible to rain on snow events," said Sindelar.
Thompson said Thursday’s community event is the beginning of a year-long project that aims to boost flood awareness and explore steps to reduce disaster risk in the Flathead.
“How can we prepare for that flood that eventually is going to happen, whether it’s in 500 years or five years? How can we reduce the impact of that and make sure that people are safe, our infrastructure is safe?" said Thompson.
Following the film, panelists include:
- Huge Sindelar, One in Five Hundred filmmaker and an Assistant Professor of Film at Montana State University
- Bill Berg, Retired Park County Commissioner and Gardiner businessman
- Bruce Young, Lakeside Realtor, who surveyed the 1964 flood by air with his father
- Shirley Rogers Folkwein, Columbia Falls resident whose family farm was partially inundated in 1964
