Expert panel dives into Teton Dam’s failure at Flood 50 commemorative panel

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Experts took a deep dive into the failure of the Teton Dam Wednesday during a panel commemorating the 50th anniversary of the disaster this evening at College of Eastern Idaho.

Three historians, a dam safety engineer and a geologist shared the stage and responded to questions from the audience in a consequential analysis of the flood’s impact on local lives and the political and geologic factors that led to the dam’s collapse.

Dam safety engineer Nathaniel Gee said David Merrill was the first of eleven deaths tied to the disaster.

Tune into our 10 PM broadcast for the full story. This is a developing story and will be updated this evening.