 A
line of severe thunderstorms stalled over Johnstown on July 20, 1977,
dropping as much as a foot of rain in some areas. Small streams -
Solomon's Run, Sam's Run, Peggy's Run - carved new channels and
smashed through expressways, apartment buildings, factories and homes.
An earthen water supply dam collapsed at Laurel Run Reservoir, one of
several dams that failed. The waters overflowed the channel system in
Johnstown that was to have left the city "flood-free." However,
according to later estimates by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the
water level could have been as much as 11 feet higher if the channel
system had never been built.
The Red Cross, Salvation Army, other non-profit agencies, the state
and federal governments, and private individuals rushed to help. On
July 21, President Jimmy Carter declared the worst-hit counties a
federal disaster area (Cambria, Somerset, Indiana, Bedford,
Westmoreland, Clearfield, and Jefferson; a few days later, Blair was
added). The National Guard was mobilized, and the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers arrived to assist in debris removal and demolition of
non-salvageable buildings. |
The death toll would reach 85, while property damages reached the $300
million mark. Hundreds of people were left homeless, and took shelter
in churches, schools, fire halls and even dormitories at the
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. After the immediate crisis was
over, many small trailer home parks were established to accommodate
those left homeless. |
Over the next year, the federal government spent some $200 million in
the area, rebuilding damaged public facilities and lending funds or
giving grants to property owners for repairs and construction.The
1977 flood was a blow to Johnstown's increasingly fragile economy.
Many downtown firms damaged by the flood did not reopen or moved to
the suburbs. Employment at Bethlehem Steel dropped by 4,000. Between
1970 and 1980, the city's population dropped from 42,221 to 34,221, a
19.4% decline, and the 1977 flood is a major reason why.
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