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 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]
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[edit] Cincinnati
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.
[edit] Louisville
Several businesses in Louisville were devastated, especially the famed Rose Island, which never rebuilt. 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.[2] The Pennsylvania Railroad evacuated many citizens by train from its depot in Jeffersonville.
[edit] Evansville
Martial law was declared on January 24. 4,000 WPA workers were sent to the Vanderburgh county, where Evansville is located. 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.
[edit] Paducah
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.enquirer.com/flood_of_97/history5.html
- ^ http://www.indiana.edu/~liblilly/wpa/flood.html
[edit] External links
- http://www.enquirer.com/flood_of_97/history3.html
- Flood pictures of Cincinnati during the 1937 flood
- A personal account of the flood, showing how it affected those involved
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