In 1964 , a severe Pineapple Express event , known as the Christmas flood of 1964 , brought heavy rains to coastal northern California . The Eel River drainage area was directly in the storm 's path . With no major dams to control its flow , the main Eel reached a peak of , with from the South Fork alone . Ten towns were obliterated with dozens of others damaged ; at least 20 bridges were destroyed , and some , including Miranda and South Fork , were never rebuilt . The heavy damage was due not only to the water , but to the huge amount of sediment and debris swept down the river , including millions of board feet of timber . The deepest flood waters were nearly above the normal river level . Several thousand people were left homeless by the floods and over 4,000 head of livestock died . The large storms of the mid-20th century , along with the ecological changes from logging and grazing activities , almost wiped out the river 's salmon run . Due to huge earth-flows caused by the record rain in 1964 , 105 million tons of sediment were carried down the Eel River between December 21 – 23 as measured at Scotia – more than in the previous eight years combined . This sediment scoured away or buried spawning grounds for salmon and steelhead trout , causing the populations of these fish to drop to dangerous levels by the mid-1970s
Christmas flood of 1964
Christmas flood of 1964
Eel River (California)