Why DISASTROUS FLOODS Hit Northern U.S. - Eugene M Walter - June 1969

Eugene M Walter

What caused this spring's widespread floods? Can such destruction be prevented in the future? What lessons were learned - and NOT learned - by this disaster? Read the answers in this on-the-spot report from the major flood areas. The pattern was all too familiar. Heavy rains had saturated the soil last fall before the winter freeze. Snow came early and in record or near-record amounts. More than one hundred inches fell in many areas of the Northern Great Plains. To make matters worse, the water content of the snow was extremely high - and natural ponding areas were already generally full. Winter stream flow of many rivers was averaging more than twice the normal flow. Month s before the spring thaw began, it was obvious what was coming. - Information Supplied By: Herbert W Armstrong Library