Columbia Falls High School’s student-led Conservation Crew will host Climate Smart Glacier Country and partners for a special screening of One in Five Hundred, a documentary about the devastating 2022 Yellowstone floods.  Filmmaker, Hugo Sindelar, will join a panel that will explore lessons from the 2022 Yellowstone and 1964 Flathead floods about preparing for the flood next time.

The public is invited to the free film screening and panel discussion on Thursday, October 23, 7:00 p.m. at Columbia Falls High School Theater, 610 13th St West.

The 54-minute documentary, One in Five Hundred, depicts the destructive flash flood three years ago that shocked the communities of Cooke City, Gardiner, Red Lodge and the upper Yellowstone Valley. Similar to floods that ravaged the Flathead Valley in 1894 and 1964, the 2022 Yellowstone megaflood was considered a 500-1000 year  event. The frequency of such events appear to be increasing across the nation due to a warming climate that increases atmospheric moisture and fuels stronger storms.

To prepare for the next large flood, the event will explore lessons learned from these earlier floods, said Steve Thompson, Chairman of Climate Smart Glacier Country, who will be the panel moderator. “The 1964 flood is the biggest Flathead flood on record, and we need to be aware that an event like that will likely happen again, It’s not a question of if. It’s a question of when.”

The community event launches a year-long partnership project that will boost flood awareness and explore steps to reduce disaster risk. Through robust community preparedness, Flathead County residents and businesses will be eligible for discounted flood insurance premiums through FEMA.

“One in Five Hundred tells the story of the devastating 2022 Yellowstone floods and the impact for many of the park’s gateway communities,” said Hugo Sindelar, film director and Assistant Professor of film at Montana State University. “Through the voices of more than a dozen local residents, the film shares valuable lessons about the importance of flood preparedness in the Mountain West.”

Following the film, a panel discussion will discuss lessons learned from the 2022 and 1964 events. Panelists include:

• Huge Sindelar, One in Five Hundred filmmaker and an Assistant Professor of Film at Montana Stater University
• Bill Berg, Retired Park County Commissioner and Gardiner businessman
• Bruce Young, Lakeside Realtor, who surveyed the 1964 flood by air with his father
• Shirley Rogers Folkwein, Columbia Falls resident whose family farm was partially inundated in 1964

Event sponsors include Climate Smart Glacier Country, Flathead Conservation District, Western Montana Conservation Commission, Upper Flathead Neighborhood Association, and Columbia Falls High School Conservation Crew.  Refreshments will be available.