People remember the Teton Dam Flood

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI)—The first Saturday of June is a day of remembrance in Rexburg for the Teton Dam Flood, which rocked the entire valley and claimed 11 lives on June 5, 1976. People gathered at the Romance Theater on Main Street in Rexburg to share their stories and memories of that fateful day.

People were also able to watch a new documentary showcasing the events of the day.

Mr. Green, who was a reserve cop in Rexburg at the time of the flood, shared how he helped Lewis Hart find and save 18 people from the flood.

"He landed an army plane in the field. It took several minutes to get them to get into the plane and to safety," Green said.

Green described how he was in the air when he saw the flood waters hit the Wilford area.

"I saw it hit Wilford and throw school buses over houses, and the houses would just explode. I watched it hit Minors feedlot, and 5,000 cattle just lifted out of it," Green said.

Another person named Jerry, shared how he would help in the clean up process.

"I was initially going to the farms and, cutting free the animals and other things for the fences and barbed wire. So they could be loaded into the dump trucks and taken to the disposal sites," Jerry said.

He also described how the aftermath reminded him of the humanity people can share.

"It reminded me of the humanity and the love people have for each other," Jerry said.

Brett Johnson said that while he wasn't as adversely affected as others, he still did lose a lot of temporal items. The only thing that he ever got back from the flood was a chest with some drawers in it.

"A neighbor brought it back to us a few days later, inside that chest of drawers was our temple recommends," Johnson said.

Johnson added that they still worked and allowed them to get into the temple later.

He shares how people from the power company came to help to restore the power to the valley.

Jennifer Davis lost her uncle during the flood. She shares how it was cool to see the movie and have it highlight her uncle.

"It was awesome to see my aunt, who was the one talking about my uncle David who was one of the 11 who lost their lives in the Teton Dam," Davis said.

Davis says she runs in the Teton Dam Marathon to try and do something hard.

"That's why I did the marathon because it is hard and I think of how hard it must've been for David. When he was in the dam," Davis said.

Many were grateful to hear other's stories and keep the stories from the Teton Flood alive.