Examining the Devastating Impact of Floods

A flood can be a very destructive disaster not many people think about it as a huge problem for in the United States but it is for places that have dams or places that get the after effect of hurricanes and tsunami`s. The Johnstown Flood happened May 31, 1889 in Johnstown P.A a little town outside of Pittsburgh. Floods can damage houses, trees, cars, and whole towns bring fear to the nearby citizens.
To begin with a flood is a destructive natural disaster that happens during large amounts of rainfall and after effects of hurricanes and tsunami`s. There are large amounts of rushing water that come and destroy the city leaving nothing but debri from the buildings during the flood and after it. Sadly the case for Johnstown there was a huge dam

that broke because of all the rain and the wood starting to rot away after all the rain and it was very old. There are many floods that occur. There is usually large amounts of rain which that would add to the water level in the dam which caused the dam to overflow and break sending the shooting water down into the little town. Clouds tend to build up causing the rain. It might be a little chilly outside and some loud thunder (Michaels Computing 2002). Besides, with the wood that was made to build the dam it would lead to the dam breaking and sending rushing water to the city. The type of weather that would be present would be water running down the streets at a very fast speed, and it’s usually a rainy day (Greater Johnstown Convention).
Also, the Johnstown Flood occurred May 31, 1889 in Johnstown P.A. Floods can damage many objects such as trees, homes, and cars that are crushed by the fast moving water. Houses are flooded and destroyed leaving many family`s without a home. Really anything standing/sitting outside will or could be destroyed. The damage cost was around 10,000 dollars which was a lot of money at the time. Over 2,200 people were killed during the horrible flood. And many others were injured. The impact on the family’s and the community was devastating. The community lost almost everything. Families lost their homes and loved ones. Many buildings where people worked were destroyed which lead to people losing their jobs or not being able to work for a while (Johnstown, W.F 1889). Of all the water that came rushing down was about 20 million tons the water of the flood came to be 60 feet deep and came racing down 40 miles per hour (Michaels Computing 2002).
However, there wasn’t really any warning systems available at the time plus it is almost impossible to detect when a flood is about to occur.

Maybe if there had been a radar it could easily have picked up the breaking of the dam, but back then there probably would not have had that kind of technology yet. People can prepare by collecting important items such as first aid-kit and some survival gear. To stay safe during this horrible natural disaster always try to get to high ground that’s the safest place from the water below. If the bottom floor is flooded before leaving the dwelling go to the top floor, attic, or roof. Avoid any streams, creeks, rivers, and flooding highways so there is no harm to come. Thereby, always stay in sight of other people they might just be able to save a person’s life (Mc Namara, R n.d). Stay tuned to a battery radio to listening on what’s happening or for what’s going to happen. Turn off and thing that runs on electricity at the main power source that includes the gas valve to. After the flood if someone has come in contact with the flood water wash their hands with water and soap.
In Conclusion here are some important facts to emphasize about the flood. The flood only lasted about 10 minutes and about 80 people survived the huge massive water wave. The Johnstown Flood was one of the worst natural disaster to happen in the 19th century. It was also one of the worst floods for the American Red Cross. The Johnstown Flood happened in May 31, 1889 in Johnstown P.A. Many floods can destroy the majority of any town and leave many people without homes or loved

ones.