Floodwaters and Flames

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March 25, 1913, began as a typical day in Dayton, Ohio. Downtown bustled with streetcars, carriages, and automobiles. At 8 a.m., children were getting ready for school, and men and women were hustling to work. By 8:10, they were scrambling for higher ground. A rush of water from the Great Miami River flooded the city. Desperate people climbed trees and telephone poles to escape the torrent. Experience the Great Dayton Flood through the eyes of those who lived it. Today, the storm that caused the flood and devastated Dayton and communities across the country is largely forgotten. But the residents of Dayton resolved never to suffer such a disaster again. Their heroic response became a model for how we prepare for and recover from natural disasters.