after the 1941 disaster the old reservoir dam was repaired but not replaced. doubts about the safety of the dam were largely responsible for abandonment of that area for redevelopment. the creek valley upstream from the city in the mid-1960s exhibited scarred inner banks several meters higher than the normal water level. the scarring caused by the avalanche was increasingly higher above the stream bed on the creek valley walls nearer the reservoir. the scoured appearance of the creek valley indicated the mass and power of the avalanche gaining momentum as it crashed down the narrow valley, accumulating debris as it descended.