Pittsburgh Flood 1936

On March 17 and 18, 1936 the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania witnessed the worst of any flood in its history when flood levels peaked at 46 feet. This flood became known as "The Great St. Patrick’s Day Flood," and also affected other areas of the Mid-Atlantic on both sides of the Eastern Continental Divide.

Flood control

Civic organizations in the city, with financial backing from the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County and the Chamber of Commerce had been asking the Federal Government for help with flood control for almost thirty years. They had formed committees to lobby government officials and found themselves caught in political processes that ultimately resulted in the city and its residents sustaining devastating damage. In August 1935, the United States House of Representatives passed a bill for nine flood control reservoirs to be built above Pittsburgh. However, while the Senate debated this bill, the tremendous 1936 flood occurred. The Congress did not actually appropriate any funds for the project until the 1937 flood which threatened, but spared the city and went on to devastate the Ohio River Valley.

Cause of flood

On March 16, 1936, warmer-than-normal temperatures led to the melting of snow and ice on the upper Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. These rivers and their tributaries were already over their banks and were threatening the city of Pittsburgh. On March 17, 1936 the waters reached flood stage of 25 feet. Heavy rains overnight caused the waters to rise quickly, and on March 18, the water peaked at about at 46 feet, 21 feet above flood stage. Five days later, on March 21, the water finally receded to 24 feet.

Aftermath

The aftermath to the city was devastating. About 100,000 buildings were destroyed and the damage was estimated at about $250 million (or, roughly, $3 billion in 2006 dollars). Steel mills that were located around the three rivers suffered devastating damage and 60,000 steel workers within a thirty mile radius were out of work due to the damage that the mills suffered. Sixty five percent of the downtown business district had been under water from the Point all the way up to Grant Street.

Electric power failed on March 17 and full electric service was not restored for eight days. KDKA radio was able to broadcast without interruption throughout the flood but Pittsburghers were unable to listen because they did not have electricity to run their radios. The contamination of the water supply led Pittsburgh residents to be told to boil water for fear of a typhoid epidemic. This fear was never realized, whether it was from the boiling of water or just luck is unknown. The death toll was hard to determine due to reports including the surrounding area, but the closest that can be deduced is about 69 deaths in the city and 500 injured. There was no train service because the railroad tracks that ran along the three rivers were blocked or washed away by the flood. Trolleys were also affected by the power loss and some were abandoned where they were when power was lost. Roads around the rivers were washed away or buckled and there was a gasoline shortage because there was no electricity to run the pumps. Relief workers consisted of police, firemen and the National Guard, who secured the city and protected public safety. The absence of electricity caused the pumps at the water intake facility to fail, and left firefighters unable to fight fires. These fires had been burning for days because of the lack of water pressure in the fire hydrants. The Red Cross provided food, clothing and medical supplies, while the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps rescued people from flooded houses and assisted in the clean up after waters receded.

Many buildings in Pittsburgh, particularly in or near downtown, have markers indicating the height reached by floodwaters. Another memorial to this flood can be seen at Great Falls Park in Fairfax County, Virginia, where the Potomac River swelled as far as the second story of the park's present visitor center building.

ources

Burns, Daniel. "Pittsburgh’s Rivers" (Chicago: Arcadia Publishing, 2006)

Flaherty, Mildred. "The Great Saint Patrick’s Day Flood" (Pittsburgh: The Local History Company, 2004)

Ohler, Samuel. "PittsburGraphics" (Pittsburgh: S. R. Ohler, 1983)

Smith, Roland. "The Politics of Pittsburgh Flood Control, 1908-1936." Pennsylvania History, 42 (1975) : 5-24, [http://cip.cornell.edu/DPubS/UI/1.0/Journal?authority=psu.ph&issue=1134157015]