By M. W. M.
The
year 1937 brought more distress to the United States, a nation that was already
in the midst of the Great Depression and recovering from the Dust Bowl. The
flood of 1937 seriously affected eight states across the nation. In total,
there would be 385 dead and property loses of $500 million.[1] The tremendous flood would
lead the Army Corps of Engineers to create more than seventy storage reservoirs
in each effected state, to reduce the height of the Ohio River. During this
crisis, there were two similar towns that would need substantial help from the
federal government to recover. One city Evansville, Indiana, due to its
location, would specifically need direct aid from the federal and local
governments. The second city was Cairo, Illinois. At the flood’s peak, the city
of Cairo had an average flood depth of ten feet.[2]
To try and salvage the cities, the federal government ended up spending an equivalent of 11 million dollars in today’s money. The federal government not only aided with money, but also sent WPA (The Works Progress Administration) workers to help the flood effected areas. This disaster would prod the United States government to institute nationwide reform and an overall rethinking of the power of the Ohio River. A flood of this magnitude had never reached the areas affected by the 1937 flood, so in response to the disaster, the Indiana State Flood Commission was created. The town of Evansville specifically established the Evansville-Vanderburgh Levee Authority District. This group built a system of earth levees, concrete walls, and pumping stations to protect the city.
The flood of 1937 would span a total of eight states. Those states were Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee. This disaster would go down in history as one of the greatest floods the Ohio River had ever produced. The total number of causalities would be around five hundred.[3] One of the things that contributed to the flood was the method of protection that was chosen by the cities along the Ohio River. Just like in The Rising Tide these cities used levees. The cities along the Ohio River all had earth levees on each side of the river to try and contain any flooding. Although, just like in our book, these levees would fail and almost intensify the flood waters.
To try and salvage the cities, the federal government ended up spending an equivalent of 11 million dollars in today’s money. The federal government not only aided with money, but also sent WPA (The Works Progress Administration) workers to help the flood effected areas. This disaster would prod the United States government to institute nationwide reform and an overall rethinking of the power of the Ohio River. A flood of this magnitude had never reached the areas affected by the 1937 flood, so in response to the disaster, the Indiana State Flood Commission was created. The town of Evansville specifically established the Evansville-Vanderburgh Levee Authority District. This group built a system of earth levees, concrete walls, and pumping stations to protect the city.
The flood of 1937 would span a total of eight states. Those states were Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee. This disaster would go down in history as one of the greatest floods the Ohio River had ever produced. The total number of causalities would be around five hundred.[3] One of the things that contributed to the flood was the method of protection that was chosen by the cities along the Ohio River. Just like in The Rising Tide these cities used levees. The cities along the Ohio River all had earth levees on each side of the river to try and contain any flooding. Although, just like in our book, these levees would fail and almost intensify the flood waters.
The
Ohio River flood of 1937 did not happen overnight. There were multiple causes
for this disaster. One of the contributing factors was the intense blizzard
that hit along the Ohio River. All of the snow that accumulated on the hills of
the Ohio River Valley melted and trickled down into the river. This coupled
with a spring that brought record amounts of precipitation, would cause the
river to have an abundance of water. For those reasons, on March 27, 1936 the
Ohio River was above its flood stage the entire length of the nine hundred and
eighty-one mile river. This meant that from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania to Cairo,
Illinois the river was considered to be a “flood.”[4] Although to many, this
news would be startling, the officials lining the Ohio River paid little
attention to it. One official said, “The river will go down soon enough, we
just have to wait.”[5]
This official would soon be proven wrong. At the beginning of the year 1937 the
river would be ten times its normal flow. With high ranking officials brushing
off the severity of the flood, a disaster would soon ensue.
Now when historians look back at the Flood of 1937, they
see a preventable disaster. There were multiple mishandlings by authorities
during this time. Along the Ohio River existed a large drainage basin. This
basin handled most of the water that drained from the river. This system worked
perfectly until the river’s waters started to rise. With the rising water
levels, the basin soon began to operate at full capacity. The basin, during
this time, went unchecked by officials for months. So the overfilling basin
soon began to have run-off water. This run-off trickled its way directly back
into the Ohio River, causing the river to gain even more strength. This basin
could attribute to the river raising 2.1 feet in twenty-four hours in 1937.[6] The tributaries that were
in charge of helping relieve the overflowing river became backed up. These
tributaries became bogged down by the extra sediment in the waters caused by
the extensive rains leading to soil erosion. This scenario allowed the river to
gain more power and speed along its path. So with the outlets of the river
backed up, the river continued to flow directly towards the heart of the
nation.
The state of Illinois like many other affected states,
had become immobilized by the flood. In Illinois over one thousand three
hundred and thirty miles of road, one hundred and twenty-five miles of railroad
and forty-three cities and towns turned into nothing more than standing water.
In Cairo, Illinois the whole city had an average depth of ten feet. (Southern)
Conditions in Cairo became so grim that the mayor of London called and asked
officials if he could be of any assistance.[7] The average speed of the
water was twenty-five miles per hour. Dangerous conditions of the water caused
many preventable causalities. Many refugees attempted to travel on their own
instead of waiting to be assisted by the incoming services. During this time,
Illinois deployed seventy-five emergency trains to help transport refugees to
safer areas. When looking at the other affected states, the Illinois statistics
can be seen across the board. These numbers caused officials to think of
various ways to alleviate the immense amount of water being pushed onto their
cities.
In the
region of the Ohio River Valley, a flood of this magnitude had never before
affected so many different states at once. For this reason, the flood of 1937
caught many states and officials off guard. Due to this, many loses and
causalities of the flood seem to historians to be preventable. Throughout this
time period many states elected to build levees as a defense against the waters
of the Ohio. This method seemed to be successful until it was actually put to
the test. As the water levels rose along the river, the high embankments of the
levees only contained and strengthen the river. The levees directly contributed
to the record breaking speeds and height of the river. During their time of
desperation, many local officials conspired to blow up the opposing side’s
embankment. An explosion on one side of the levee would allow the pressurized
water to flow freely and lower the height of the river. Although, in doing
this, the side being flooded would be assaulted by the free flowing river. This
specific incident happened near the city of Cairo. The city of Cairo being a larger
city, decided that diverting the river away from the large city would save more
lives than blowing up the levee would.[8]
Many
cities throughout the Ohio River faced a decision. This decision would be
comparable to the one made in Cairo. This choice would benefit one state and
then would negatively affect another. This remained precisely the case in
region in the state of Illinois. At the place known as Birds Point levee, the
state officials faced the decision to let the flood waters keep rising and destroy
more of their city, or to dynamite the levee and release the building flood
waters. The option chosen was to dynamite the levee and to flood the lands of
Missouri. Although, oddly enough, the state of Missouri would not be consulted
on this issue. So the decision of one state flooded over one hundred and thirty
thousand acres of Missouri farm land. The farm land of Missouri, if not flooded
intentionally, would have totally avoided the floodwaters. The blow dealt to
this farm land would take years to recover. Illinois’s choice to dynamite the
levee at Birds Point not only effected Missouri’s land, but also their future
economy.
Once
the flood gained its full power and unleashed itself upon the cities along the
river, officials began to act. In the past, the United States federal
government had not given states much relief when it came to natural disasters.
Previously if a state had in internal issue, it was expected that the state
keep it in house. This way of thinking was predominately that of the Republican
Party. The Republicans believed that less government interference into states’
matters would be more beneficial. An example of a Republican’s philosophy that
would be historically close to the flood of 1937, is that of President Herbert
Hoover. During the Great Depression, Hoover believed that the federal
government should not interfere and the depression would run its course and
solve itself. This philosophy was the exact opposite of former president
Franklin Roosevelt. Roosevelt felt that the government had an obligation to act
and be involved. During his presidency he created many groups, such as the WPA
and the CCC. The CCC stood for The Civilian Conservation Corps. So with his
beliefs when given news of the flood, he decided that the federal government
would directly help the states. He sent numerous groups of WPA and CCC workers
to the afflicted cities and towns. These two groups were instrumental in the
aid of the states. The WPA and CCC workers worked alongside local and state
officials to ensure the best response was given to the affected areas.[9]
The
federal government did not become the only entity to help the flooded states.
The state of Massachusetts sent boats and their coast guard to try and improve
the conditions. The U.S engineers sent motors to help with the lack of
materials for transportation. Also the National Guard occupied multiple cities
throughout the nation ensuring aid and peace. The city of Chicago sent sandbags
to help block the water from further advancing. The National Red Cross sent
more than 662 nurses to help set up rally points for the stranded refugees.[10] The CCC workers helped
create shelters and tents where the sick could be taken care of. Many schools
were transformed into hospitals to aid the sickly refugees. The icy waters of
the flood caused multiple cases of flu and pneumonia. The local governments
turned their radiobroadcasts from their normal routines into emergency stations
that allowed displaced families to find each other and reunite.[11]
In the
city of Louisville, Kentucky a man named Robert Kutak witnessed what he called
the “Sociology of Crises.” He reported that at the beginning of the disaster
when local authorities and official began to try and keep order it went majorly
unsuccessful.[12]
But when the National Guardsmen showed up, most refugees obeyed their
authority. Robert did note a racial difference between white people and
“Negroes.” For the most part, he noticed that the African-American families
acted appreciative and thankful, while the white families appeared agitated and
hateful.[13]
This example portrays the racial tensions that existed during this time period.
The white refugees when put with the “Negro” refugees felt that they deserved
better and therefore became hateful and disgusted. This analysis by Mr. Kutak
shows that racism still resided even in the northern states at this time.
In the
aftermath of the flood, all eight affected states began to work on reforming
their ways of dealing with the Ohio River. The old systems of levees had proven
to be not only faulty but also assisted in allowing the river to gain more
power. The dynamiting of levees also became a serious issue. Specifically
regarding the case of the Birds Point levee, the flooded farmland in Missouri
would not have been effected by the waters of the Ohio had it not been for the
dynamiting of the levee by Illinois. In reforming their techniques of handling
the river, the state of Illinois commissioned engineers to construct over
eighty-eight reservoirs.[14] These reservoirs would
control drainage for over 110,174 square miles. This type of reform could be
seen nationwide. Another method adopted after the flood became known as
creating floodways. This process would be done by deliberately flooding one
part of the state to save another part. Using floodways would only be done with
commination between the soon to be affected area and the state government.
Unlike the dynamiting of levees where the side who detonated first won.
The 1937 flood also marked a revolutionary milestone for American politics. This disaster became one of the first instances when the federal government directly sent money and aid to states. Before this time most disasters had to be dealt with internally. The Roosevelt administration ended up sending multiple forms of aid to the areas in need. Even after the disaster the federal government gave millions of dollars to farms across the Midwest to assist with soil erosion.[15] The flood would also impact the tobacco market. The 1937 earnings in the industry dropped sharply and would take years to recover.[16] Although many negatives came from the flood, one economic positive impact it had was the sale of farm equipment in 1937 and 1938. With so much lost to the flood, many farmers were forced to buy new equipment.[17] The numerous farmers buying equipment acted as an economic stimulus helping jumpstart the national economy after the flood.
The 1937 flood also marked a revolutionary milestone for American politics. This disaster became one of the first instances when the federal government directly sent money and aid to states. Before this time most disasters had to be dealt with internally. The Roosevelt administration ended up sending multiple forms of aid to the areas in need. Even after the disaster the federal government gave millions of dollars to farms across the Midwest to assist with soil erosion.[15] The flood would also impact the tobacco market. The 1937 earnings in the industry dropped sharply and would take years to recover.[16] Although many negatives came from the flood, one economic positive impact it had was the sale of farm equipment in 1937 and 1938. With so much lost to the flood, many farmers were forced to buy new equipment.[17] The numerous farmers buying equipment acted as an economic stimulus helping jumpstart the national economy after the flood.
While
the flood of 1937 devastated eight states and took half a million causalities,
some positive social aspects can be seen. This disaster sparked the federal
government to, for the first time, work with local and state officials. The
cooperation shown between the multiple entities would go on to be a perfect
example of how to respond to a national disaster. The reform not only impacted
governmental bodies, but also the regulations regarding the river. The use of
levees would no longer be accepted as a reasonable defense against the river.
Although the Ohio River flood of 1937 would go down in history as one of the
worst floods in the Midwest, it lead to reform between federal and state
governmental interactions, and also lead to safer and stricter river
regulations. The flood could be seen as a necessary stepping stone for the
United States on its way to become a better nation.
Bibliography:
“1937
Net Income of R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Lower: Loss Due to Ohio Floods Reduces
Earnings.” Chicago Daily Tribune (Chicago,
IL), Jan. 14, 1938
“1937
Farm Price Outlook.” Wall Street Journal (New
York, NY), Feb 19, 1937
“WPA In
Tennessee Gives Flood Aid.” Atlanta Daily
World (Atlanta, GA), Feb 17, 1937
Kutake,
Robert. “The Sociology of Crises: The Louisville Flood of 1937.” Notes: The Community and Neighborhood,
(January 1938) 66-72. Accessed February 22, 2014. Proquest
Shank,
Majorie. “The 1937 Flood in Southern Illinois.” Notes: Journal of Geography, (January 1938) 45-56. Accessed
February 28, 2104. Proquest
Thomas,
Lowell. Hungry Waters. Philadelphia: Universal
Book and Bible House, 1938.
[1] Thomas Lowell, “Hungry
Waters,” The Washington Post, July 7,
1937.
[2] Majorie Shank, “The 1937
Flood in Southern Illinois,” Journal of
Geography (1938): 45-56.
[3] Thomas Lowell, “Hungry
Waters.”
[4] Majorie Shank, “The 1937
Flood in Southern Illinois.”
[5] Majorie Shank, “The 1937
Flood in Southern Illinois.”
[6] Majorie Shank, “The 1937
Flood in Southern Illinois.”
[7] Majorie Shank, “The 1937
Flood in Southern Illinois.”
[8] Majorie Shank, “The 1937
Flood in Southern Illinois.”
[9] Majorie Shank, “The 1937
Flood in Southern Illinois.”
[10] WPA In Tennessee Gives
Flood Aid, The Washington Post, February
17, 1937.
[11] Majorie Shank, “The 1937
Flood in Southern Illinois.”
[12] Robert Kutak, “The
Sociology of Crises: The Louisville Flood of 1937,” The Community and Neighborhood (1937): 66-72.
[13] Robert Kutak, “The
Sociology of Crises: The Louisville Flood of 1937.”
[14] Majorie Shank, “The 1937
Flood in Southern Illinois.”
[15] Majorie Shank, “The 1937
Flood in Southern Illinois.”
[16] 1937 Net Income of R. J.
Reynolds Tobacco Lower: Loss Due to Ohio Floods Reduces Earnings, Chicago Daily Tribune, January 14, 1938.
[17] 1937 Farm Price Outlook,
Wall Street Journal, February 19,
1937.
