History of the Johnstown Flood

An account of the Johnstown Flood, the most devastating loss of civilian life in the United States prior to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. On May 31, 1889, the South Fork Dam burst and drowned Johnstown and several other cities along the Little Conemaugh River. The flood killed 2,209 people and caused $17 million in damage ($534 million in 2022). The Johnstown Flood horrified the nation and the world. Accounts of the terror of the flood as well as the unprecedented generosity of communities around the United States and the world are included in the narrative. - Summary by Tatiana Chichilla