may 31, 1889 - The town of Johnstown, PA, about seventy miles east of Pittsburgh, was destroyed when the South Fork Dam, fourteen miles above the city, failed, during flooding rains. Deaths exceeded 2200. The disaster, The Great Johnstown Flood, drew national attention, and was the first time outside of war that the Red Cross organized relief efforts. Recovery was substantially organized by the Grand Army of the Republic, the association of Union veterans, and also involved the Army Corps of Engineers
Added to timeline:
Date:
may 31, 1889
Now
~ 137 years ago