Deadliest floods in U.S. history
Check out these floods named the 10 deadliest in U.S. history.
Check out these floods named the 10 deadliest in U.S. history.
Check out these floods named the 10 deadliest in U.S. history.
10. Buffalo Creek Flood (1972) -- An estimated 118 people died after a slag pile dam in West Virginia collapsed under torrential rains.
9. Big Thompson Flood (1976) -- A flash flood in Big Thompson Canyon west of Loveland, Colo., killed 139 people.
8. (tie) Heppner Flood (1903) -- Two-hundred people were killed when a flash flood swept away a third of the town of Willow Creek, Ore., in 1903.
8. Mississippi Flood (1912) -- The Mississippi River overflowed its banks, killing an estimated 200 people along the river and causing $45 million in damage.
8. Missouri River Flood (1903) -- Heavy rains brought flooding that raised the level of the Missouri River 35 feet and killed 200 people.
5. Rapid City Flood (1972) -- Flash flooding killed 237 people in Rapid City, S.D.
4. St. Francis Flood (1928) -- An estimated 450 perish when the St. Francis Dam collapses in Santa Paula, Calif.
3. Ohio River Flood (1913) -- Heavy rains brought severe flooding that killed 450 people in Ohio. The disaster led to the nation’s first flood control board and programs.
2. Mississippi Flood (1937) -- Heavy rains flooded 12,700 square miles, destroying 75,000 homes and leaving 600,000 refugees. An estimated 1,100 were killed.
1. Johnstown Flood (1889) -- Several days of heavy rainfall caused the collapse of the South Fork Dam north of Johnstown, Penn., killing an estimated 2,200 people. The disaster was the first major relief effort handled by the fledgling American Red Cross.
