The entire city of Scio lies in a floodplain with a 1 percent annual chance of a flood . All of Scio was flooded in December 1964 , when Thomas Creek and Peters Ditch overflowed their banks . The flooding was generally shallow except near the creek , where it reached in depth . A flood of this size along the creek is expected , on average , only once in 200 years . The inundation was part of a state-wide series of floods known as the Christmas flood of 1964 , rated by the National Weather Service as one of Oregon 's top 10 weather events of the 20th century . In January 1972 , Scio was flooded again when the discharge at the gauge reached
Christmas flood of 1964
Christmas flood of 1964
Thomas Creek (Linn County, Oregon)