WebThe Johnstown Flood, sometimes referred to locally as Great Flood of 1889, occurred on Friday, May 31, 1889, after the catastrophic failure of the South Fork Dam, located on the south fork of the Little Conemaugh River, 14 miles (23 km) upstream of the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, United States.

WebThe American Red Cross, led by Clara Barton and organized in 1881, arrived in Johnstown on June 5, 1889 – it was the first major peacetime disaster relief effort for the Red Cross. Johnstown has suffered additional significant floods …

WebApr 12, 2023 · Johnstown flood, disastrous flood that occurred in 1889 in the town of Johnstown, Pa. Johnstown lies at the confluence of the Conemaugh River and Stony Creek; at the time of the flood it was a leading U.S. steelmaking centre.

WebMay 31, 2012 · 1889 Over 2,000 die in the Johnstown Flood The South Fork Dam in Pennsylvania collapses on May 31, 1889, causing the Johnstown Flood, killing more than 2,200 people. Johnstown is 60...

WebMar 22, 2023 · The South Fork Dam failed on Friday, May 31, 1889, and unleashed 20,000,000 tons of water that devastated Johnstown, PA. The flood killed 2,209 people but it brought the nation and the world together to aid the "Johnstown sufferers." The story of the Johnstown Flood reminds us all, "...that we must leave nothing undone for the …

WebAug 11, 2017 · Until May 31, 1889, that is. That’s when a dam altered by the exclusive club burst, and the unthinkable happened. Torrents of water rushed downstream as the dam failed, inundating nearby...

WebNov 2, 2021 · In 1889, Johnstown was home to 30,000 people, many of whom worked in the steel industry. On May 31, the residents were unaware of the danger that steady rain over the course of the previous day had caused. A spillway at the dam became clogged with debris that could not be dislodged.

WebBy the morning of May 31, 1889, there was water in the streets. Business people were moving their wares to the upper stories of their buildings. Families moved furnishings and supplies they would need to wait out the deluge. Johnstown had been built into a river valley on the Appalachian Plateau.

WebDec 9, 2017 · At around three in the afternoon on May 31, 1889, a wall of water described as forty feet high rushed towards the small town. The South Fork Dam had burst, sending twenty million tons (3.6 billion gallons) of water straight to Johnstown.

WebThe Johnstown Flood of 1889 was an event that shocked a nation and one that was covered extensively by every existing form of media. It was certainly the biggest news story since Lee’s surrender at Appomattox and the murder of Abraham Lincoln, both of which happened a generation earlier in 1865.