Ohio River flood of 1937

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The Ohio River flood of 1937 took place in late January and February of 1937. With damage stretching from Pittsburgh to Cairo, Illinois, 1 million were left homeless, with 385 dead and property losses reaching $500 million, further worsened by the fact that it occurred during the Great Depression and just a few years after the Dust Bowl.[1]

Contents

[edit] Event timeline

[edit] Aftermath and reconstruction

[edit] Media response

A handful of powerhouse Radio stations (including WLW and WHAS) quickly switched to non-stop news coverage, transmitting commercial-free for weeks. These broadcasts consisted mostly of messages being relayed to rescue crews, as many civil agencies had no other means of communication.

[edit] Government response

The 1937 flood was so unprecedented, civic and industrial groups forced authorities to create a comprehensive plan for flood control. The plan involved reducing Ohio River flood heights by creating more than seventy storage reservoirs. The plan was not fully completed by the Army Corps of Engineers until the early 1940s, but it has drastically reduced flood damages ever since.

[edit] States seriously afflicted

[edit] Ohio

100,000 in Cincinnati were left homeless, as the flood impacted the city from January 18 to February 5. The river reached its peak on January 26, at 79.9 feet (24.4 m). Ohio River levels on January 26-27 were the highest known from Gallipolis downstream past Cincinnati. Crests were 20 to 28 feet (8.5 m) above flood stage and 4 to 9 feet (2.7 m) above previous records. Six to 12 inches (300 mm) of rain fell in Ohio during January 13-25, 1937, totals never before or since experienced over such a large area of Ohio. January 1937 remains as the wettest month ever recorded in Ohio.

The Ohio River crested at 80 feet (24 m) at Cincinnati on January 26. This was 28 feet (8.5 m) over flood stage and 9 feet (2.7 m) above the 1884 record. More than 50,000 were homeless, 10% of the city was inundated, water supply was cut, and streetcar service was curtailed. At Portsmouth, it became clear that the flood wall, erected 10 feet (3.0 m) above flood stage, would be topped by the rising river. City officials deliberately opened the flood gates and allowed river water to flood the business district 8 to 10 feet (3.0 m) deep, thus preventing a catastrophic breaching of the flood wall. The Ohio River eventually crested 14 feet (4.3 m) over the top of the floodwall. The death toll of 10 was remarkably low for such a devastating flood and contrasts sharply with the 467 killed in the floods of March 1913.

[edit] Kentucky

Louisville, Kentucky during the 1937 flood
Louisville, Kentucky during the 1937 flood

Several businesses in the Louisville area were devastated, especially the famed Rose Island amusement park (actually on the Indiana side of the river near Charlestown), which never rebuilt. The flood affects the development of Louisville even to this day. The flood caused much of the initial rebuilding of the city to be directed toward the east out of the flood plain, partially contributing to a long-term concentration of wealth there and away from the older central and western areas of the city.

The Ohio River at Paducah rose above its 50-foot (15 m) flood stage on January 21, cresting at 60.8 feet (18.5 m) on February 2 and receding again to 50 feet (15 m) on February 15. For nearly three weeks, 27,000 residents were forced to flee to stay with friends and relatives in higher ground in McCracken County or in other counties. Some shelters were provided by the American Red Cross and local churches. Buildings in downtown Paducah still bear plaques that highlight the high water marks.

With 18 inches (460 mm) of rainfall in 16 days, along with sheets of swiftly moving ice the '37 flood was the worst natural disaster in Paducah's history. Because Paducah's earthen levee was ineffective against this flood, the United States Army Corps of Engineers was commissioned to build the flood wall that now protects the city from the ravages of flooding.

[edit] Indiana

The river rose to a record 53.74 feet (16.38 m), which was 19 feet (5.8 m) above flood stage, and sent water over the six-month old riverfront plaza in Evansville. Martial law was declared on January 24th and 4,000 WPA workers were sent to Evansville. After the flood, the Evansville-Vanderburgh Levee Authority District was established, which built a system of earth levees, concrete walls, and pumping stations meant to protect the city.[2] Jeffersonville, Indiana alone saw 1,000 WPA workers come to rescue the city. $500,000 of federal money was expended in Jeffersonville, and $70,000 was sent to New Albany.[3] The Pennsylvania Railroad evacuated many citizens by train from its depot in Jeffersonville. Many small riverside towns like Mauckport and New Amsterdam were so devastated that they never recovered.

[edit] Illinois

Flooding along the Ohio River has plagued Harrisburg over the years. The city was flooded in 1883-1884 and again in 1913. Its most severe flood came in 1937 when much of the city, except "Crusoes's Island", was underwater. After that, a levee was erected north and east of the city to protect it from future floods. The levee became the official northern and eastern border of the town. Many people were surprised that water from the river could reach that far inland, nearly 30 miles (48 km) inland. Harrisburg was nearly wiped off the map.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Infamous Floods - Flood of 1997 - The Enquirer
  2. ^ "When disaster strikes", Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved on 2007-01-07. 
  3. ^ Ohio River Flood, 1937

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links