Skip to main content

Search from vocabulary

Content language

Concept information

Preferred term

johnstown flood  

Definition

  • On May 31, 1889, the South Fork Dam broke about 15 miles upstream from Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The resulting flood rushed down the narrow river valley and decimated the thriving industrial town, killing over 2,000 people. [Source: Encyclopedia of Disaster Relief; Johnstown Flood (1889)]

Broader concept

Belongs to group

Date

  • 1889

URI

https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/johnstown_flood

Download this concept: