1943 — Aug 4, Little Kanawha River basin flash flooding, central WV, esp. Braxton Co.–23
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 4-30-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
–23 Environmental Data Service. “Losses in Individual Severe Floods in the [US]”, p. 791.
–23 National Weather Service, NOAA. Flooding in West Virginia. “August 4-5, 1943 Flood.”
–23 Sunday Register, Beckley, WV. “Death Toll Put At 22…Flash Flood. …” 8-8-1943, p. 12.
–22 dead
— 1 missing and presumed dead.
–23 Swenson. “River States and Floods,” Monthly Weather Review, Aug 1943, p. 139.
Narrative Information
Environmental Data Service, NOAA. “Losses in Individual Severe Floods in the [US]:
“August 1943…Little Kanawha…23 [lives lost]…$1,300 [property loss in thousands of dollars]”
National Weather Service, NOAA. Flooding in West Virginia. “August 4-5, 1943 Flood.”
“A notable flood of short duration and high intensity occurred during the night of August 4-5, 1943, in central West Virginia. The affected area was about 50 miles long and 10 miles wide in the diamond-shaped Kanawha River Basin, with elevations generally ranging from about EL 600 to EL 1500… Point rainfall amounted to as much as 15 inches in 2 hours. According to the U.S. Weather Bureau (1943), the record-breaking rains were accompanied by ‘one of the worst, if not the worst, electrical storms of record.’
“There were 23 deaths due to the flood, all of whom lived along relatively small tributaries. Six precipitation gages in the area recorded rainfall depths of only 0.31 inches to 5.0 inches, failing to provide a complete picture of the scattered intense rainfall pockets in the area. Representatives of the Corps of Engineers, the Weather Bureau, and the West Penn Power Company thoroughly investigated the storm, interviewing local residents and obtaining an additional 118 data points from the amount of water collected in pails, tubs, jars and other containers that were uncovered and open during the storm.
“The single largest property damaged from the flood was a 10-mile stretch of the B & O Railroad, in which six railroad bridges and much of the track was destroyed. Heavy deposits of sand and gravel washed down many small runs. An example of the damage from the storm is shown in Figure 3. Some of the highest unit discharges were 4,700 cfs (3,100 cfs/mi2) for the North Fork Yellow Creek (1.51 mi2) and 7,400 cfs (3,060 cfs/mi2) for Laurel Fork above White Pine (2.42 mi2). Discharges were estimated by the slope-area method.”
Parkersburg West Virginia Weather Bureau Office in Swenson, MWR: “The most disastrous flash flood in the history of central West Virginia occurred during the night of August 4-5, 1943, causing the deaths of 23 persons and property damage estimated at near $1,300,000. The damage was confined to an area approximately 48 miles long, extending from just west of Big Island Run to the upper reaches of Salt Lick Creek, with the maximum width about 12 miles.
“Thundershowers, mostly of short duration, occurred about dusk on August 4, throughout the Little Kanawha River Basin. However, these showers were locally heavy in the Burnsville-Copen area. They were followed about 3 hours later by record-breaking rains accompanied by one of the worst, if not the worst, electrical storms of record. The excessive rains began to fall in the McFarlan-Girta area about 11 p. m., August 4, and progressed southeastward into the Salt Lick Creek Basin where the excessive rains began about 1 a. m., August 5. These rains continued in most places for from 1 to 2 hours and were generally continuous, although quite a number of persons reported brief slackening of the hard rains. There were two main peaks of excessive rainfall, one over the Burnsville-Copen-Cedarville area and the other over the Nobe-Brohard area.
“A crest stage of 30.7 feet was reached at Glenville at 6:30 p. m., of the 5th, while the crest stage at Creston was 19.7 feet at 9 a. m., of the 6th. The Creston crest was 0.3 foot below flood stage. The anomalous situation of a crest 2.3 feet below the record at Glenville, while Burnsville, 18 miles upstream had a crest 10 inches higher than the previous record, was due to the fact that approximately two-thirds of the Glenville drainage area comprises sections where the intensity of the rainfall sloughed off sharply. Except for the high-water mark at Burnsville, gage heights on the main stream do not tell the story of this flood; neither do the amounts of rainfall recorded at the river and the cooperative stations maintained in the basin, except that the record at McFarlan, just north of the downstream peak of maximum rainfall indicated a fall of 3.70 inches in 1 hour. The findings of a survey of the rainfall catch in regions where there are no official gages will be
reported in a later issue of the REVIEW.
“Generally speaking, the southern tributaries of the Little Kanawha River starting with Long Run and ending with the left Fork of Steer Creek were the highest of record, while from Third Run to and including Yellow Creek, the northern tributaries crested higher than ever before. On the South Fork of the Hughes River, the tributaries from Spruce Creek to Big Island Run were also as high or higher than the previous records.
“The damage to the land was tremendous. Practically every hill in the flood area was scarred by one or more blow-outs or slides. Every cove showed excessive washes. The scour and fill in the valleys was great for, in addition to the usual gravel fill, sizeable rocks and some boulders were washed from the hill tops down into the valleys. Instead of the usual gulley drainage, observers reported that the run-off was in sheet-form with waves forming in some instances. The run-off was rapid in the creeks, as all of them crested at or shortly after the cessation of the excessive rainfall.
“The South Fork of the Hughes River ran out rapidly. The body of one of the victims of Big Island Run floated downstream into the South Fork, then into the Little Kanawha River and then into the Ohio River and was recovered near Harris Ferry, W. Va., at 6 p. m., August 5, shortly before the main stream crested at Glenville. The body floated 49 miles in 16 hours. The run-out of the Little Kanawha River at Parkersburg was very swift for the 2 days (5th and 6th), as the Ohio River was in pool above Parkersburg and the navigation dams below Parkersburg had been lowered in anticipation of this run-off.
“Twenty-three persons were drowned: 8 in the vicinity of Heaters on O’Brien Fork of Salt Lick Creek, 8 in the vicinity of Copen on Copen Creek, 5 at Girta on Big Island Run, and 2 above Tanner on Tanner Creek.
“Property damage has been estimated at near $1,300,000, about half of which was to crops and farms. On the 10 miles of track of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad between Heaters and Burnsville several bridges washed out, much of the track was washed out or moved considerable distances and the roadbed damaged generally. Highways were damaged by slides, fills, and wash-outs and many bridges were destroyed. In many instances streams moved over into the highways and will have to be rechanneled. All bottom land crops were destroyed and damage to home gardens was considerable. Much tillable land is now covered with rubble. Many houses, stores, schools, and churches were washed away; while others were moved some distance from their foundations. Considerable livestock and poultry were drowned. Extensive damage was done to fences and farm implements. Well-water supply was contaminated by overflow of streams or surface drainage. The small community of White Pine was practically wiped out. Burnsville was the only sizeable community to be damaged by the flood. Glenville’s damage was much less, with the monetary loss due principally to loss of business and to expense of cleaning up.” (Parkersburg WV Weather Bureau Office, in: Swenson. “River States and Floods,” Monthly Weather Review, Aug 1943, p. 139.)
Newspapers
Aug 5, AP: “Many Homes Wrecked By Flood Water. Glenville Hit; Damages Estimated At Many Thousands of Dollars. By The Associated Press
“Sutton – ‘Flash floods,’ created by a cloudburst which struck in the early morning hours, were believed to have taken at least five lives, destroyed scores of homes and left several communities in Braxton and Gilver counties isolated. Deputy Sheriff On. N. Singleton of Braxton county said he was informed that Mr. and Mrs. George Yeager, their daughter and her two children were drowned when their home at Heaters, about nine miles north of Sutton, was swept away by raging Salt Lick creek. Members of several other families in the Heaters area were trapped in their beds and were missing, Singleton added.
“There were reports here that Mr. and Mrs. John Long and a daughter escaped death when their home, swept from its foundation, lodged against a bridge about a mile below Heaters. They were rescued by volunteer firemen from Sutton.
“Water from the creek was said to be about 20 feet deep at Marple’s Store at Heaters, while farm homes in the valleys along others streams were inundated. Several other homes at Heaters also were swept away, along with the Baltimore and Ohio station.
“State route 5 between Burnsville and Glenville was flooded, and at points was under six feet of water, while sections of the road were undermined. Only one-way traffic was permitted on U.S. route 19 in Braxton county.
“All available state troopers, county officers and other officials in the section were called into the stricken areas to help in rescue work. Telephone lines to many rural communities were reported down.
“Waters of the swollen Little Kanawha river, which covered sections of Burnsville, inched past the 26-foot level at the college town of Glenville, Gilmer county. Linn Hickman, associate editor of the Glenville Democrat, reported that 3.25 inches of rain fell in the Glenville area between 3 and 4 a.m. He estimated that several thousands of dollars damage already had been caused to crops and residential property.” (Associated Press. “Five Believed Dead in Flash Flood.” The Raleigh Register, Beckley, WV, 8-5-1943, p. 5.)
Aug 5, AP: “Sutton, Aug. 5 – (AP) – Flood-stricken central West Virginia, counting the toll tonight of a freak flash flood that gushed down its deep hollows and gorges, listed 14 known dead, nine missing and property damage that was expected to exceed $2,000,000. Rescuers twice revised upward the roster of victims as reports came in from previously isolated localities in Calhoun and Ritchie counties.
“Braxton county, of which Sutton is the county seat, bore the brunt of the raging torrents that trapped mountain dwellers as they slept, and loss of life was expected to run highest here. State Police Sgt. L. L. Waugh reported the recovery of five bodies at Heaters, 10 miles away, and said he was informed that six others had been recovered at Copen, 20 miles from Sutton. At least five other persons were missing at the two rural localities,
“At Parkersburg, State Trooper R. M. Reger reported that Floyd Nelson, 52, and his four children were missing and all believed drowned when swollen Island Creek carried away their home near Girts in Ritchie county. Hours later the body of Ruth Nelson, 16, was recovered a half mile below the home site, while another girl, Mary Nelson, 12, who clung to driftwood in the swift stream, was rescued unharmed. The body of a girl tentatively identified as eight-year-old Virginia Nelson was taken from the Ohio river three miles below Parkersburg. Should positive identification be established, rivermen marveled that the body could have been carried such a distance – about 23 miles – in such a short time. Island creek empties into Hughes river, a tributary of Little Kanawha river which converges with the Ohio at Parkersburg. Searchers hunted in the muck and debris for bodies of Nelson, his son, Willard, 17, and daughter, Edna, 5.
“Calhoun county previously had been added to the flood area with a report of the drowning of a mother and her small daughter. State Police Cpl. C. L. Hawkins of Grandville identified the victims whose bodies have not yet been recovered as Mrs. Howard Bee, 25, and her one-year-old daughter. The officer said that Bee also was carried away in the wreckage of their farmhouse but he clung to driftwood and managed to reach shore far downstream. He was treated for cuts and bruises.
“….State Police Sgt. L. L. Waugh said the bodies of Mrs. Lydia Queen, 23, and three of her five children, Martin, 12, Russel, 10, and Alana, one year old, were recovered hours after the torrential rains sent O’Brien Fork creek out of its banks at Heaters, 10 miles from Sutton. The body of a fifth victim, identified as Gaylord Daugherty, 22, visitor at the Queen home, was recovered in mid-afternoon. Still missing were two other Queen children, Phyllis, 8, and Peggy, 2. J. Holt Byrne, publisher of the Braxton Central at Sutton, who toured the devastated area, said that Mrs. Tom Daugherty, about 50, who was visiting with the Queen family, and her son, Gaylord Daugherty, 22 were among the missing….
“Waugh reported five bodies were recovered at Copen, 20 miles from here….” (Associated Press. “14 Are Dead, 9 More Missing In Flash Flood.” The Charleston Gazette, WV. 8-6-1943, pp. 1-2.)
Aug 7, AP: “Sutton (AP) – With the recovery today of two additional bodies from the flash flood debris that overlay rich farm acres of Braxton county, relief agencies were able to announce a semi-official casualty lit of 19 dead and four missing which they said ‘likely would stand.’….Mrs. Tom Daugherty, about 50, one of two guests at the home of Mrs. Lydia Queen at Haters when the dwelling was swept away in the swollen waters of a mountain creek, and C. B. Simons, about 67, of Copen, were added today to the list of known dead.
“Deputy Sheriff O. N. Singleton of Copen reported that 16 dwellings there were destroyed, while a Baptist church and several store buildings were washed away at Cutlipville [Cutlips?], Braxton county. County School Superintendent Virgil B. Harris reported that three schools, Bonnie, Grass Run, and Bower, could be counted as total losses.
“Returning to Charleston today from a tour of the stricken area, J. B. Baker, a sanitarian of the state health department, said that at least two-thirds of the wells in the flood-stricken area of Braxton, Ritchie, Gilmer and Calhoun counties had been contaminated by flood waters and would require cleaning out and purifying before they can be used again….” (Associated Press. “Death Toll in Flood Hits 19 As 2 More Bodies Are Found.” Charleston Daily Mail, WV. 8-7-1943, p.1.)
Aug 8: “Sutton – The list of known dead in central West Virginia’s worst flash flood in history moved up to 22 tonight with discovery of the body of Floyd Nelson, 52, of Girga, Ritchie county, father of four children who also perished in the sudden-swollen waters early Thursday. Nelson’s floating body was found in receding Island creek, about one-half mile from the mouth of Hughes river late today while relief and rehabilitation forces strove to provide food, clothing and shelter for the homeless in a four-county area. Only one body, that of Mrs. C. B. Simons of Copen, was still the object of searchers
“….Earlier today, the bodies of two little sisters, Phyllis Queen, 8, and Peggy, 2, were found at widely separated spots, one of them floating in a deep pool of water near the home which was destroyed by the high water, and the other about one and a half miles distant. Bodies of their mother, Mrs. Lydia Queen, 38, of Heaters, and three other children were among the first recovered.
“Added to the known list of dead during the day were Mrs. Tom Daugherty, about 50, who with her son was visiting at the Queen home when it was swept away by the flood at Heaters, and C. B. Simons, 67, whose body was found near Copen….” (Sunday Register, Beckley, WV. “Death Toll Put At 22 In State Flash Flood. One Person Still Missing…” 8-8-1943, p. 12.)
Sources
Associated Press. “14 Are Dead, 9 More Missing In Flash Flood. Streams Inundate 2 W. Va. Counties.” The Charleston Gazette, WV. 8-6-1943, p. 1. Accessed 4-30-2024 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/charleston-gazette-aug-06-1943-p-1/
Associated Press. “Death Toll in Flood Hits 19 As 2 More Bodies Are Found.” Charleston Daily Mail, WV. 8-7-1943, p. 1. Accessed 4-30-2024 at:
https://newspaperarchive.com/charleston-daily-mail-aug-07-1943-p-1/
Associated Press. “Five Believed Dead in Flash Flood.” The Raleigh Register, Beckley, WV, 8-5-1943, p. 5. Accessed 4-30-2024 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/beckley-register-aug-05-1943-p-5/
Environmental Data Service, NOAA. “Losses in Individual Severe Floods in the United States since July 1902.” Climatological Data National Summary (Annual) Vol. 22. No. 13, 1971. Accessed 4-26-2023 at:
National Weather Service, NOAA. Flooding in West Virginia. “August 4-5, 1943 Flood.” Accessed 4-26-2024 at: https://www.weather.gov/safety/flood-states-wv
Sunday Register, Beckley, WV. “Death Toll Put At 22 In State Flash Flood. One Person Still Missing…” 8-8-1943, p. 12. Accessed 4-30-2024 at:
https://newspaperarchive.com/beckley-sunday-register-aug-08-1943-p-12/
Swenson, Bennett. “River States and Floods,” Monthly Weather Review, Aug 1943, pp. 138-39. Accessed at: http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/071/mwr-071-08-0138.pdf