Geography asks three questions:I already knew something about the Johnstown Flood of 1889 because of my interest in floods and small reservoirs generally, and because of a long-ago NPR interview on the subject that is apparently no longer available. I learned so much more, however, from the recent Johnstown Flood episode on National Park After Dark. I highly recommend the NPAD version of this story to anybody who is interested in the intersection of environmental justice and hydrology.
Some related images are on the NPAD post on Facebook; the episode can be heard on Spotify as Episode 311 of the NPAD podcast. The flood became a subject for this blog because the event is commemorated at a National Park site. The Johnstown Flood National Memorial is located several miles to the east of the city.
The podcast episode includes a rich description of what was lost in the flood, how, and why. I did know that the neglect of the upstream reservoir's owner was responsible for the flood. I did not realize just how many warnings there had been, nor how the owners had modified the existing dam in a way that made it more suitable for their recreation preferences but also much less safe. I also did not realize that the flood waters entrained so much debris -- including an entire barbed-wire factory -- that it was more like a marauding monster than a wave of water by the time it reached downtown. And finally -- spoiler alert -- I did not realize the important role of Unitarian Clara Barton and the American Red Cross.
As with many podcasts, NPAD is recorded about a week before it is released. Because it often discusses traumatic events, this is not the first time that the producers have had to add a disclaimer when releasing the broadcast, because it touches on similar traumatic events that are very current. In this case, disclaimers were added at the beginning and end of the program. The first is because of the very deadly and highly politicized floods in Central Texas. The second is because the release date would coincide with the one- and two-year anniversaries of floods in Vermont, very neaer the home of one of the hosts. They could not have known that severe flooding has now taken place in Vermont on the same date THREE years in a row.
As of this writing, the official web site of the Johnstown Flood National Memorial includes many details about the disaster, including a list of every member of the sporting club that was responsible. As with all U.S. government sites, it is now subject to revision and censorship.
The web site also includes a land-protection story I did not expect: the effort to restore the bed of the South Fork Lake to its post-flood condition. Trees were removed by machinery and goats were employed to remove brush. I am reminded of a similar project at our own home in 2013, when we rented goats to remove brambles and poison ivy.
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| Goat Junior Rangers. I believe the donkey is employed to protect them from hawks and coyotes. |
Other Flooding-Related Posts on this Blog
Rio Doce 2015
Flood Flash 2016
Flooding: It's Not in the Cards 2018 -- in which I explain in detail why we should stop using terms like "100 year flood" already.
Dam Shame 2020
Bonus: Haunting My Old Haunts 2012 -- not about flooding, but about the place whose flooding I discuss in several of the later posts.
