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something needed to be done and the legislature was working on a bill by 1935. On March 15 and 16 heavy rains hit the
Johnstown area. Warmer weather began to melt the accumulated snow on the ground, and the soil became saturated. By March 17, the Conemaugh River reached flood stage and was continuing to rise at the rate of 18 inches per hour. The raging streams merged and entered Johnstown. At Locust Street and Lee Place, the flood crest reached to within five feet of the high-water mark of the catastrophic flood of May 31, 1889. In the section known as Cambria City, the stone bridge, unlike in 1889, remained unobstructed, resulting in a flood level here that was 18 inches higher than that of the 1889 flood.
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Flood control measures had been introduced, but had bogged down in legislative debates. The
Johnstown flood of March, 1936 came before anything significant had been accomplished. The 1936 Johnstown flood was the seminal event that gave modern federal flood control measures in the United States their
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In early March 1936, a storm front moved into
Pennsylvania bringing 50 degree Fahrenheit (10 degree Celsius) weather which was very high for so early in the season. The warm front was enough to melt accumulated snow in the mountains. Those temperatures were accompanied by three days of severe rains,
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The flood came before pending flood control legislation was enacted or any significant flood control measures were implemented. The narrowness of the valleys and the encroachment of buildings on riverbanks contributed to the record flooding. By the time nightfall on March 17, one-third of the city
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On June 7, 1906, Johnstown experienced major flooding that reached 17 feet (5.2 m) on the
Franklin street bridge. On March 14, 1907, there was flooding that was bested only by the one in 1889. There was talk of flood control but nothing was accomplished. Talks had finally determined that
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The flood was preceded by heavy rains beginning March 9, 1936, which did not stop until March 22. The storms brought warmer weather with temperatures of 50 °F (10 °C) and was a cause of one stage of the flooding; the continuous rainfall was the second cause. The natural
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By 1942, the tax had contributed $ 42 million to recovery costs. In 1951, the tax was made permanent, becoming the state liquor tax, with funds no longer earmarked for costs related to the flood. In the following years, the tax was raised twice to 18%.
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After the flood, sweeping nationwide flood control laws were enacted and from 1938 to 1943 Johnstown saw many projects completed. These measures gave residents the feeling that the area was now "flood free", and it was touted as such until the
137:. 80 members of the Highway Patrol and 81 members of the State Police arrived to help restore and maintain order. The gauge on the Poplar Street Bridge showed 15 feet above flood level and the 14 feet above flood stage at the "Point".
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The natural run-off of 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.5 cm) was far surpassed by the deluge of from 10 to 30 inches (25 to 75 cm) of water in the region. Other areas affected by the same storm system included
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was under 17 feet (5.2 m) of water. Twenty-five people lost their lives in the disaster, and damages estimated at $ 43 million made it the worst flood since the
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sent 7000 men and 350 to report to Mayor
Shields. 1724 enlisted and 114 officers were mobilized by Governor George H. Earle effectively placing the area under
252:, Pittsburgh District reported to Johnstown leaders that the flood problem had been effectively solved. Johnstown began to promote the city as "Flood Free".
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dam had broken. People rushed for higher ground. This report turned out to be false and people started making their way back into town. Robert Bondy, the
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of 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.5 cm) was far surpassed by the deluge of from 10 to 30 inches (25 to 75 cm) of water in the region.
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which saturated the land and caused swift run-off into local streams and rivers upstream from
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was 6.1 feet higher than the previous highest level recorded in 1762. Flooding was widespread.
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asking for help. The
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national director of disaster relief arrived to start relief efforts. The
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On March 18, whistles and sirens began to scream, as word spread that the
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USGS report: The floods of March 1936, part 1, New
England rivers
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was created to assist with the city's recovery from the flood.
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Adventures in Flood
Control: The Johnstown, Pennsylvania Story
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Pa.'s 18% hidden tax was supposed to be temporary ... In 1936
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Disastrous floods and the demise of steel in
Johnstown
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Pa. lawmaker: Use 'flood tax' on liquor for disasters
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364:unsigned, WFMZ-TV 69 News, September 26, 2011. "
228:impetus. 15,000 letters were sent to President
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503:1936 natural disasters in the United States
145:As the flood was rising people crossed the
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211:In 1936, a statewide temporary 10% tax on
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16:Flood in Johnstown, Pennsylvania in 1936
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329:47 years later ......another disaster.
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404:. Richard Burkert. Charleston, SC.
341:The Killer Flood of March 17, 1936
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518:1930s floods in the United States
498:Dam failures in the United States
97:. The event is chronicled at the
463:youtube: Johnstown flood of 1936
28:March 17, 1936 to March 18, 1936
307:p. 21-27- Retrieved 2016-01-09
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317:Johnstown flood levels (1936)
131:Works Progress Administration
69:, was a devastating flood in
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398:Farabaugh, Patrick (2021).
368:". Accessed April 24, 2019.
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319:p. 4- Retrieved 2016-01-09
250:US Army Corps of Engineers
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493:Disasters in Pennsylvania
242:Flood Control Act of 1937
238:Flood Control Act of 1936
230:Franklin Delano Roosevelt
141:Inclined bridge and plane
67:Saint Patrick's Day Flood
262:Pittsburgh flood of 1936
149:and were ferried to the
478:Johnstown, Pennsylvania
305:The Floods of Johnstown
63:Johnstown flood of 1936
37:Johnstown, Pennsylvania
20:Johnstown flood of 1936
488:Floods in Pennsylvania
355:- Retrieved 2016-01-10
343:- Retrieved 2016-01-10
331:- Retrieved 2016-01-09
295:- Retrieved 2016-01-10
293:Johnstown Flood Museum
283:, Retrieved 2016-01-09
99:Johnstown Flood Museum
185:Hartford, Connecticut
147:Inclined Plane Bridge
123:Quemahoning Reservoir
483:1936 in Pennsylvania
234:The Tribune-Democrat
207:Tax to fund recovery
170:1936 Northeast Flood
384:, April 12, 2017, "
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127:American Red Cross
513:March 1936 events
411:978-1-4671-5001-9
382:York Daily Record
281:NOAA:1936 damages
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256:See also
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