I grew up in Johnstown, PA, and I return each year to visit relatives and friends. The old hometown never really recovered after the numerous floods through the years and then the shutdown of the coal mines and steel mills.
You have to see the layout of this town in a deep, deep valley to understand the making of the disaster. Now you can learn all about it at a National Monument (where the dam was that broke) - the only one I ever saw created around a disaster. Anyway, this film does a good job of teaching you what lead up to the 1888 tragedy (as usual, greed and inept, uncaring people) and its aftermath. However, the numerous smaller floods after that came from different causes, primarily the unfortunate location of the town and too much rain all at one time.
Watch this and learn what can (still) happen if you don't protect your community and its environment.
You have to see the layout of this town in a deep, deep valley to understand the making of the disaster. Now you can learn all about it at a National Monument (where the dam was that broke) - the only one I ever saw created around a disaster. Anyway, this film does a good job of teaching you what lead up to the 1888 tragedy (as usual, greed and inept, uncaring people) and its aftermath. However, the numerous smaller floods after that came from different causes, primarily the unfortunate location of the town and too much rain all at one time.
Watch this and learn what can (still) happen if you don't protect your community and its environment.