Flood Details - 1979-03-15 - 1979-03-16

Several areas of southern New Brunswick reported extensive flooding. Canaan River Basin: Ice jams were reported to have occurred at several locations on the Canaan River. Saint John Area: At Saint John, several people were reported to have been evacuated from their homes as floodwaters inundated some streets and basements in low-lying areas. Kennebecasis River Basin: The Kennebecasis River was reported to be the ¿highest anyone has seen for years¿ in the Sussex area. A Sussex Corner resident who drove to Saint John reported that "the river flooded throughout the valley". Sussex Area: In Sussex, road washouts were reported on Pleasant Avenue and the parking lot of the Gateway Mall was under water. A number of basements were inundated. At Sussex Corner, the flooding was described as being "somewhat worse than in town".

Approximately 30 millimetres of rain was reported to have fallen in southern New Brunswick. Sussex Area: In Sussex, the water was reported to be level with the Leonard Drive bridge at one point in time. It was also reported that there is normally five feet of clearance between the bridge and the surface of the river. Saint John Area: Tides at Saint John were reported to be 7.88 metres on March 15 and 7.84 metres on the 16th.

No detailed description or estimates of the flood damage were presented. One person was reported to have lost his life after falling into a flood-swollen river near his home in the Saint John area.