Just in case you haven't heard of the 1937 flood, here's a little history:
The first three months of any year are usually the most susceptible to floods. If the temperature warms to above freezing and there is any rain, the rain along with any melting snow or frost means that quite a bit of water rushes into the streams and rivers. A record amount of rain fell in the beginning of January 1937 (over 18 inches in some places) and the water rose quickly.
People all along rivers and streams experienced dangerous flooding in 1883, 1884, 1913, and a few in between. However, they had never seen the likes of this.
Bird’s eye view of riverfront during the 1937 flood, courtesy of UC's Community Design Center's Urban Database
Today in Cincinnati, the Ohio River has a depth of around 30 feet and is considered at flood stage when it reaches 52 feet. But in 1937, before many dams were built, the Ohio River was much shallower and not as wide as it is today. So it's pretty incredible to imagine the river reaching its official record of 79.99 feet on Jan. 26, 1937.
(I should mention that although the record states 79.99 feet, many have written that the water was actually well over 80 feet. It has been speculated, but not confirmed, that this is because insurance policies would not cover anything over 80 feet.)
Towns all along the Ohio River and its tributaries were completely under water. Homes were turned over on their sides or completely removed from their foundations and floated down river. If you're interested, the Kenton County Library has several images.
Although taken in 1964 and not 1937, this photo shows how dangerous living along the river can be.
Again, to provide some comparison, the only flood in my lifetime to even come close was the flood of 1997, in the record books at only 64.7 feet.
The Rabbit Hash General Store in the Flood of 1997. At its highest in '97, the water reached the bottom of the shutters. In 1937, the water went as far as the attic of the store.
The 1937 flood was considered a disaster and the story become front-page news all over the nation.
This is a still taken from this pretty incredible amateur documentary about the flood
The Red Cross was extremely helpful to those who were left homeless, but many people were so devastated by the flooding that they moved away from the places they had called home their entire lives.
This building was once a store in Rabbit Hash and the 1937 flood lifted it from its foundation and floated it up the hill behind it. It was then attached to another building and still stands today.
In Rabbit Hash, this particular flood took many of the town’s buildings and quite a large segment of the population moved out after their homes were destroyed. It wasn’t until the 1980’s that Rabbit Hash had the life breathed back into it.
To be continued.... again...
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