Death in a Small Town

Few can say that much positive comes from a disaster. It is true, however, that many disasters effect change for the better - making our homes, transportation, and surroundings safer and preventing similar disasters from happening again.

St. Jean Vianney Mudslide: In the afternoon of May 4, 1971, the dogs in the Quebec town of St. Jean Vianney bagan to bark and whimper. Cows refused to leave their barns, and children came in from lunch, claiming that the ground was shaking and making strange noises. That night, as the town settled in for sleep, the unstable wet clay soil suddenly began to move. A hole opened up in the ground and began to suck whole houses into its maw. Families escaped from their homes and ran down the streets to get away from the widening hole. 36 homes were lost and 31 people died in the disaster. The town of St. Jean Vianney was abandoned and new building laws in Quebec were established.

St. Joseph Bus Accident: October 13, 1997, marked the worst bus accident in North American history, when a bus in rural Quebec plunged off an embankment and killed 43 of its 48 passengers. The victims were senior citizens on a charter bus tour. Police determined that the bus was travelling too fast for the winding curves of the embankment and broke through the guardrail, falling 30 feet and landing on its side. The accident devastated the small town of St. Bernard. It was the second bus accident to happen in that spot since 1974, when a bus accident claimed the lives of 13 seniors. Citizens' groups have since urged stornger safety regulations for Quebec buses.