Cincinnati Flood of 1997 essays

Cincinnati Flood of 1997 essays Within two days between March 1 and 3, 1997, a killer storm developed from the Gulf of Mexico from Mississippi all the way to West Virginia and carrying with it a deluge of rain as the worst flood in 33 years (Mazzola 1997). Right on day 1, it was an unusually moist type of weather with a terrifying potential for torrential downpours. It turned violent, bringing thunderstorms and tornadoes across a 250-mile spread of destruction. In five hours, Arkansas experienced 14 tornadoes, which killed at least 24. It lashed nearby states, killing one person a day in Mississippi and Tennessee and its high winds, claiming two lives in Texas. Rains continued on day 2 through Kentucky and Southern Ohio, as swollen streams and creeks poured into the Ohio River (Mazzola). Their levels rose to a foot a day until day 3. Licking River rose to 52 feet, or 12 feet above flood stage. All through day and night 3, 12" rainfall crashed through 40,000 homes and businesses in Louisville. Leaving the place desolate, it drove east to Clermont, Brevin, Adams, Scioto, Lawrence and Gallia counties, before heading for West Virginia, where it eased a bit. By then, 16 West Virginia counties had been declared to be in a state of emergency, as Ohio and Kanawha Rivers filled their banks. Not quite out, it proceeded east-northeast on day 4, but was broken up by a cold front until dissipating in the Great Lakes area. Floods had gone in and out of the Ohio Valley, but past floods could not compare with the wrath of March 1997. The weather freak produced a variety of floods, from flash flooding in hilly terrain and poorly drained areas, to small stream flooding in rural and urban areas. These were followed by very serious flooding along the Ohio River and many of its tributaries (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 1998). It poured into the rivers in northern Kentucky, including the Rolling...