How Did Johnstown Happen

On May 31, 1889, a 35-foot-high wall of water, set loose by days of rain and a failed dam, rushed into the city of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. In its wake, most of the town was destroyed and more than 2,200 lives were lost. The Johnstown Flood was one of the worst natural disasters ever seen in the United States and brought in relief from all over the nation and world. For Clara Barton, the Johnstown Flood disaster was the first test for her newly formed Red Cross. About 3:00 p.m. on May 31, 1889, water had backed up to the point where it began to spill over the South Ford Dam. It wasn't long before the entire dam broke, sending 20 million tons of water rushing down the narrow Conemaugh Valley. The "terrible wave" reportedly sounded like a freight

The Johnstown Flood was a catastrophe that occurred in Western Pennsylvania on May 13st of 1889. The flood occurred when a dam on the Little Conemaugh River, South Fork Dam, failed to support heavy rainfall flow that caused the river to swell and the dam to be overloaded. Unfortunately, a short fourteen miles down the river lived the people of Johnstown. Johnstown was a prosperous yet modest western Pennsylvania town. The town had an iron company called Cambria Iron Company, which employed most of its men in producing steel products. The town, at the time, had a few phones, three local newspapers, and a handful of saloons. At the time, they were self-sufficient.

The Johnstown quadrangle is located in southwest-central Pennsylvania, lying mostly in Cambria County but also small parts of Somerset, Westmoreland, and Indiana counties. Most of the quadrangle includes the valley of Conemaugh River and its tributaries, Little Conemaugh River and Stony Creek, where they run together in the city of Johnstown and its suburbs. The surface rocks of the Johnstown quadrangle are of sedimentary origin – deposited in or by water – and consist of sandstone, shale, limestone, coal, iron ore, gravel, etc (Phalen 3). Altogether, the deposits have a total thickness of 3100 to 3200 feet.

Easy navigation and flood control encouraged trade along the river, which boosted the economy and led to an increase in jobs for traders, deckhands, etc. (US History TVA). In addition to providing increased trade opportunities, large amounts of money that would have been spent on the flood damage that were saved by the construction of these dams. A few years into the program, stations were created in the area to monitor flooding. Reports from these stations, in addition to computer calculations, show that the total cost of the flood damage up until 2007 would have been $5.8 billion (TVA River Neighbors). The flooding would have destroyed not only people’s homes, but also their businesses and livelihoods., which would have led to further unemployment.

The water overflowed the channel system in Johnstown that was created after the 1936 flood to prevent future flooding. But water levels were so high that without the channel in place the water level could have reached more than 11 feet according to estimates by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In total, 85 citizens died due to the flood, while property damages reached about $300 million. (Refer to figure 3 for images of the damage) The 1977 flood was a major hit to Johnstown’s already fragile economy.

One of the events that stood out was the incident of the last train to leave Houston at 9:45 a.m. The train contained 95 passengers. When the train left, the tracks were completely washed out. Passengers were then forced to transfer to a relief train in order to complete their journey. Unfortunately, since there was a lot of debris on the track, the progress at which the train was moving at was at the pace of a crawl. When the train tried to return, the rising water blocked its path preventing it from moving. 10 travelers decided to leave the train and go to a lighthouse where 200 people were already at. The 85 travelers that remained on the train were killed by a storm surge. Another big story that was known among the deaths of people was about the 90 orphan children and the 10 sisters from St. Mary’s Orphans Asylum that died. Orphans were found tied together with a cloth line to a nun. This was because the nuns had promised to the orphan children they would never let go no matter what and to keep them close. A witness with the name of Smith Austin said, “Tress began to fall state shingles, planks sand debris of every imaginable kind were being hurled through the air…” Anna Delz was one of the survivors of the storm. Anna Delz was thrown into the water and found 18 miles away from her

He also explains how heavy rainfall in 1879 and 1881 caused further damage. This information sets a precedent for the disaster of 1889.

The flood happen early March of 1867, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It rained for four days non-stop the waters roto 56 feet tall that is taller than CSAS. The north had just won the Civil War. Slavery had just ended. Chattanoogans were being very self-reliant because they didn't want to ask they north for help because they just won the Civil War.

The Peoples Temple which was founded by Jim Jones, was a racially integrated church that focused on helping people in need. Jones originally established the Peoples Temple in Indianapolis, Indiana, but then moved it to Redwood Valley, California in 1966.

The National Weather Service (2014) reported that the Metro-Atlanta suffered disastrous flooding in 2009 after an extended downpour that stemmed from sufficient moisture from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlanta’s topography, and the Gulf of Mexico. In 24 hours, the rain had reached approximately 20 inches, resulting in a significant flash flooding that made river basins stay swollen for weeks. This disaster significantly affected the Atlanta, Georgia community and its economy with a property loss worth $500 million reported.

The U.S.S Oklahoma was engulfed in flames, and many crewmembers were killed from the smoke suffocating them. There were also hospitals

The most tragic mass murder in U.S. history before the attack on the twin towers, the Jonestown massacre. In 1955, Jim Jones established Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ, commonly shortened to Peoples Temple, and soon this religious movement struck criticism and also a big following. The church’s tolerant philosophy and community outreach caused Peoples Temple to grow quickly. They cared for the elderly, ran a soup kitchen, and even maintained a social service center in Indiana (Lewis, 100). Because of his active role in the community, Jim was awarded with the head position of the Indianapolis Human Rights Commission, giving the Temple an even better reputation and more networking opportunities (Steel, 6). Many of the church followers

Noah and his family entered the ark as God had commanded. After seven days, the waters of the flood were over the earth. All the wellsprings of the great deep burst and the casements of the heavens were opened. (Genesis pg 32) It rained for forty

Poor labor relationships. The American Red Cross had a lot of different services and during disasters it required a lot of time from the volunteers and workers. The workers felt that they were not treated fairly and went on strike because of long work hours, frequent schedule changes, and an increase in their health benefits. They were focused on helping those affected by the disasters that did not take care of their own people.

On the afternoon of March 25, 1911, a fire broke out in the 10-floor Asch Building, a block east of Manhattan's Washington Square. This is where 500 mostly young immigrant girls were producing shirts for the Triangle Shirtwaist Company. Within minutes, it spread to consume the building's upper three stories. Firemen at the scene were unable to rescue those trapped inside: their ladders weren't tall enough. Exits were locked, and the narrow fire escapes were inadequate. Panicked, many jumped from the windows to their deaths. People on the street watched in horror. The flames were under control in less than a half hour, but 146 people perished, 123 of them women. It was the worst disaster in the city's history.