Flood Facts

Floodwater covered most of Louisville, Kentucky, in January 1937, and there were not enough boats to rescue everyone downtown. In less than a day, a crew built a floating bridge about 1,800 feet long on empty whiskey barrels. An estimated 75,000 people walked across it to safety over the next four days.

In March 1913, a flood put downtown Dayton, Ohio under 20 feet of water. National Cash Register's president, John H. Patterson, turned his cash register factory into a boatyard. Workers built nearly 300 boats and pulled thousands of people off rooftops. The factory became the city's hospital and shelter. Then Patterson led the campaign for the flood-control dams that still protect Dayton today.