The Community of Huntington: Converging Through Disaster

Historians view the flood of the Ohio River in 1937 as a national disaster. Though this is a true statement, the devastation from this flood was felt on a local level. In Huntington alone, 25,000 people were left without homes and the flood damage reached into the tens of millions of dollars.The flood met national attention with many newspapers across the country publishing reports and updates about the disaster, and this allowed for the communities that were affected the most to reach out for federal support. The New Deal created a new program called the WPA, or the Works Progress Association, which was employed during this time. The Red Cross was also heavily involved in the flood relief as well, providing everything from shelter to vaccinations. I believe that in historical accounts of the flood there is a stronger emphasis on the efforts of the Red Cross and the WPA, and though getting through the disaster would have been nearly impossible without their help, there is also a strong message that the community was the true driving force of survival. After the flood of 1937 and the major loss of life and expense, the community with the help of the WPA began to rebuild and petition for further flooding precautions with the federal government