USGS Multimedia Gallery: (Video)--The Greatest Natural Disaster in Ohio History: The Flood of 1913

The Greatest Natural Disaster in Ohio History: The Flood of 1913

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USGS
The Greatest Natural Disaster in Ohio History
Photographs
The Flood of 1913
The flood of March 24 – April 8, 1913, was caused solely by excessive rainfall
Rainfall fell a total of 8-11 inches during the 5-day storm.
The heaviest rainfall was in the headwaters of these watersheds: the Great and Little Miami Rivers, the Scioto River, and the Muskingum River.
Great and Little Miami River Watersheds
(photographs from 1913 showing destruction)
Scioto River Watershed
(photographs from 1913 showing destruction)
Muskingum River Watershed
(photographs from 1913 showing destruction)
The storm resulted in the most severe flooding in the State’s history
Most telephone and telegraph lines were damaged by high winds and heavy ice during a winter storm earlier in the week.
Warning of the unprecedented rain and imminent flooding was limited primarily to word-of-mouth, church bells, and police sirens.
(newspaper article from 1913 with the words “MAY IT NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN” highlighted
In the aftermath of the 1913 flood, State and Federal funds were allocated for the installation of a streamgage network to monitor the water level and flow of Ohio’s rivers and streams
Across Ohio, the number of stream-gaging stations has increased from 4 in 1913, to more than 160 real-time gaging stations operating today in partnership with many federal, state, and local agencies.
Video showing Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) U.S. Geological Survey
Streamflow data provide information that is used for the design of bridges, highway embankments, levees, and other structures near streams.
Data are also used by emergency management agencies before, during, and after flooding.
Streamgages transmit real-time information to emergency management agencies and to operators of flood-control dams and levees, allowing them to take action to reduce flood impacts and to issue warnings to the public.
These and other Ohio stream data available on the USGS Web site http://oh.water.usgs.gov/
Real-time data, Water Watch, Flood inundation mapping, WaterAlert, StreaMail
USGS

Details

Title: The Greatest Natural Disaster in Ohio History: The Flood of 1913

Description:

Devastation from the 1913 flood is shown primarily through photographs taken during the March 1913 flood. In the aftermath of the 1913 flood, State and Federal funds were allocated for the installation of a streamgage network to monitor the water level and flow of Ohio's rivers and streams. The modern streamgaging network and uses of streamflow data are described.

Location: OH, USA

Date Taken: 9/1/2012

Length: 4:21

Video Producer: Kimberly Shaffer , U.S. Geological Survey Ohio Water Science Center

Note: This video has been released into the public domain by the U.S. Geological Survey for use in its entirety. Some videos may contain pieces of copyrighted material. If you wish to use a portion of the video for any purpose, other than for resharing/reposting the video in its entirety, please contact the Video Producer/Videographer listed with this video. Please refer to the USGS Copyright section for how to credit this video.

Additional Video Credits:

Stephanie Janosy, Donna Runkle, Margery Tibbetts, Stephanie Kula, and Daniel Button

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