1913
At a time when little was known about the exact causes of natural disasters, and when continental drift had only been suggested a year earlier, a series of deadly and destructive natural disasters struck the United States in 1913, when over 1000 people lost their lives in just three of these calamities.
A storm of cyclonic fury was unleashed. On November 7 though10, one of the deadliest and most destructive natural disasters to ever hit the Great Lakes: killing more than 250 people, destroying 19 ships, and stranding 19 others. This storm was a blizzard with hurricane-force winds that devastated the Great Lakes Basin. The financial loss in vessels was almost $5 million, valued at about $116,145,00 in today's dollars.
This storm, an extra-tropical cyclone, originated as two major storm fronts, fueled by the lakes' relatively warm waters- a seasonal process called “November gale”. Producing over 90 mph wind gusts, waves over 35 feet high, and whiteouts lead to mass amounts of devastation. The outcome of the Great Lakes Storm of 1913 led to better forecasting and faster responses to storm warnings, stronger construction on ships and vessels, and improved preparedness.
A flood known as the Great Dayton Flood hit Dayton, Ohio and the surrounding area with water from the Great Miami River. This was caused by a series of three winter storms that hit the region in March of 1913. Within three days, 8-11 inches of rain of rain fell throughout the Great Miami River watershed. The amount of water that passed through the river channel during this storm equals the flow over Niagara Falls each month. The aftermath of this storm was calamitous. Nearly 360 people died, 65,000 people were displaced, and approximately 20,000 houses were destroyed. The clean up and rebuilding efforts took almost one year to complete. Unfortunately the economic aspects took almost a decade to
A storm of cyclonic fury was unleashed. On November 7 though10, one of the deadliest and most destructive natural disasters to ever hit the Great Lakes: killing more than 250 people, destroying 19 ships, and stranding 19 others. This storm was a blizzard with hurricane-force winds that devastated the Great Lakes Basin. The financial loss in vessels was almost $5 million, valued at about $116,145,00 in today's dollars.
This storm, an extra-tropical cyclone, originated as two major storm fronts, fueled by the lakes' relatively warm waters- a seasonal process called “November gale”. Producing over 90 mph wind gusts, waves over 35 feet high, and whiteouts lead to mass amounts of devastation. The outcome of the Great Lakes Storm of 1913 led to better forecasting and faster responses to storm warnings, stronger construction on ships and vessels, and improved preparedness.
A flood known as the Great Dayton Flood hit Dayton, Ohio and the surrounding area with water from the Great Miami River. This was caused by a series of three winter storms that hit the region in March of 1913. Within three days, 8-11 inches of rain of rain fell throughout the Great Miami River watershed. The amount of water that passed through the river channel during this storm equals the flow over Niagara Falls each month. The aftermath of this storm was calamitous. Nearly 360 people died, 65,000 people were displaced, and approximately 20,000 houses were destroyed. The clean up and rebuilding efforts took almost one year to complete. Unfortunately the economic aspects took almost a decade to