1977 flood remembered in Toccoa

TOCCOA - A ceremony was held Wednesday night at Toccoa Falls College to remember 39 people that died when the Kelly Barnes Dam broke flooding the campus. Of the dead there were 20 adults and 19 children.

The damage from the break on November 6th, 1977 totaled $30 million. The break occurred about 1:30 in the morning during a severe thunderstorm.

The dam served as a power producing dam until 1957, after that reservoir was used as a recreational lake.

A federal inspection of the disaster site said that piping work done on the dam may have contributed to weakening the dam and erosion may have been contributing factors.