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acrylic prints history acrylic prints historic acrylic prints historical acrylic prints famous acrylic prints important acrylic prints notable acrylic prints well-known acrylic prints event acrylic prints johnstown flood acrylic prints pennsylvania acrylic prints dam failure acrylic prints dam break acrylic prints south fork dam acrylic prints aftermath acrylic prints flood acrylic prints

photographs history photos historic photos historical photos famous photos important photos notable photos well-known photos event photos johnstown flood photos pennsylvania photos dam failure photos dam break photos south fork dam photos aftermath photos flood photos

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The Johnstown Flood (or Great Flood of 1889 as it became known locally) occurred on May 31, 1889. It was the result of the catastrophic failure of the South Fork Dam situated on the Little Conemaugh River 14 miles upstream of the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, made worse by several days of extremely heavy rainfall. The dam's failure unleashed a torrent of 20 million tons of water from the reservoir known as Lake Conemaugh. The flood killed 2,209 people and caused $17 million in damages. It was the first major disaster relief effort handled by the new American Red Cross, led by Clara Barton. Support for victims came from all over the United States and 18 foreign countries. After the flood, survivors suffered a series of legal defeats in their attempts to recover damages from the dam's owners, prompting the development in American law changing a fault-based regime to strict liability.