1945 – March 1-8, Flooding, Ohio River, IN, KY, OH, PA, WV, especially OH and KY–  10   

Compiled Nov 20, 2023 by Wayne Blanchard for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

— 10  Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune WI. “Chronology of the Year 1945.” Dec 31, 1945, p. 8.

— 10  Zanesville Signal, OH. “Ohio River Reaches Crest at Louisville.” 3-9-1945, p. 8.

—  8  Brownsville Herald, TX.  “Thousands Flee Floods in Ohio; Eight are Dead.” 3-7-1945, p. 1.

—  8  Port Arthur News, TX. “Eight Are Killed in Floods on Ohio River.” 3-8-1945, p. 1.

Ohio

–1  Cincinnati. Unidentified man pulled from the Ohio river.[1]

Narrative Information

March 5, UP: “Ohio valley residents eyed cloudy skies Monday as government forecasters predicted that the swollen Ohio river would climb still higher if appreciable rains fell in the watershed. The river was a slow-moving coffee—colored tide from below Pittsburgh to Louisville with at least three crests sliding south between Wheeling, W.Va., and Marietta, O., between Portsmouth, O., and Cincinnati, and between Cincinnati and Louisville.

“The first crest which drove lowland residents from the river bottoms a week ago was moving out of the Cincinnati area Monday and Louisville was expecting a 39.5-foot waterhead, more than five feet below the danger mark. A peak, five feet above flood stage, was forecast for Paducah, Ky., where sewer outlets into the river were being closed and umps were set up.

“High water again flooded the lowlands in the Wheeling area, cutting traffic between that city and Ohio points. The river was stationary after flooding a few cellars at Moundsville, W. Va., and hit a peak of 55.2 feet at Huntington. Rain fell throughout West Virginia Monday, adding to the threat.

March 6, AP: “Cincinnati O., March 6. (AP) – The whole length of the Ohio river rose toward rarely-reached levels today, flooding war-producing industrial centers and sending residents of city after city to high ground. High waters paralyzed transportation in many sections, and telephone, gas and power services suffered. Streets were flooded in Louisville and in many Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana and Kentucky cities. Thousands were evacuated by Red Cross, civilian defense and state employees in the four-state area.” (Associated Press. “Ohio River Floods Parts of Many Cities.” The Evening Sun, Hanover, PA. 3-6-1945, p. 12.)

March 7, AP: “Cincinnati, O. –(AP)—Still rising flood waters of rivers and tributaries along a 1,000 miles of midwestern lowlands today had made thousands homeless, taken at least eight lives and dealt a staggering blow to the making of munitions. The Ohio river – from its headwaters at Pittsburgh all the way to the Mississippi – rose toward levels reached only twice before in history.

“The storied and sung Mississippi ran into low-lying residential districts, forcing hundreds of families out. Waters of the White river in Arkansas threatened levees further south and military forces were pressed into duty to reinforce the barriers.

“Louisville expected to evacuate hundreds of families as the Ohio river boiled toward a 45-foot flood stage. At Cincinnati, the Ohio was expected to pass the 70-foot mark, 18 feet above flood stage. Relief agencies in the Cincinnati area were taxed heavily and the American Red Cross reported 3,000 to 6,000 families evacuated from their homes on both sides of the river.”  (Brownsville Herald, TX.  “Thousands Flee Floods in Ohio; Eight are Dead.” 3-7-1945, p. 1.)

March 8, INS: “International News Service. The most disastrous floods since 1937 raged today along the length of the Ohio river, crippling war production in the big industrial cities, forcing additional thousands from their homes and disrupting transportation. The damage already was in the millions and crests of 15 to 20 feet above flood stage still were expected from below Pittsburgh to Cairo, Ill. At least eight deaths were attributed to the floods.

“Danger of a disaster comparable to that of 1937 apparently was over at Pittsburgh where the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers were believed to have reached a crest at about 28½ feet, but west of there on the Ohio river, it remained a question whether the flood walls would hold back the swirling waters.

“River cities of western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana suffered most

severely, but flood conditions prevailed also in Tennessee, Illinois, Mississippi. Missouri and Arkansas. Thousands were homeless along the lowlands in the Cincinnati area where the Ohio halted short of the 70-foot mark, nearly 18 feet above flood stage. The river reached a crest of 69.2 feet and a few hours later-showed a slight recession.

“Low-lying industrial sections of Cincinnati were inundated and more than 20 vital war plants were forced to close down as the flood waters surged through a break in the sand-bagged levee.”  (Port Arthur News, TX.  “Eight Are Killed in Floods on Ohio River.” 3-8-1945, p. 1.)

March 9: “Louisville, Ky. – (AP) – The flooded Ohio river crested here at 47.1 feet – 19.1 feet above flood stage – about 6 p. m. yesterday, and has been stationary since that time, the weather bureau reported today. Ten persons lost their lives, thousands of others were forced to flee homes and businesses and property damage was heavy in the Ohio valley but the toll was not as great as during the flood of 1937 when the waters rose ten feet above the present crest.

“Forecasters said the river here would stand at 47.1 feet most of today and then begin a slow fall.

At Pittsburgh the river stood at 23.3 feet this morning and had fallen seven feet.  At Cincinnati it was 68.5 feet and had fallen four-tenths of a foot.” (Zanesville Signal, OH.  “Ohio River Reaches Crest at Louisville.” 3-9-1945, p. 8.)

Sources

Associated Press. “Ohio River Floods Parts of Many Cities.” The Evening Sun, Hanover, PA. 3-6-1945, p. 12. Accessed 11-20-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/hanover-evening-sun-mar-06-1945-p-12/

Brownsville Herald, TX. “Thousands Flee Floods in Ohio; Eight are Dead.” 3-7-1945, p. 1. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=74336016

Port Arthur News, TX. “Eight Are Killed in Floods on Ohio River.” 3-8-1945, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=43346283

United Press. “Three Ohio River Crests Sliding Toward Kentucky” The Norwalk Reflector-Herald, OH, 3-5-1945, p. 2. Accessed 11-20-2023 at:

https://newspaperarchive.com/norwalk-reflector-herald-mar-05-1945-p-2/

Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune WI. “Chronology of the Year 1945.” Dec 31, 1945, p. 8. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=10310073

Zanesville Signal, OH. “Ohio River Reaches Crest at Louisville.” 3-9-1945, p. 8. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=5490299

[1] United Press. “Three Ohio River Crests Sliding Toward Kentucky” Norwalk Reflector-Herald, OH, 3-5-1945, p2.