Portsmouth 1937 flood, WPA worker dies in flood rescue attempt   Save
New Deal
Description: Photograph of men pulling the body of Harry Vaske, Works Progress Adminstration (WPA) worker, to shore. Photo title reads: "Dies in Flood Rescue Attempt." The caption reads: "Sacrificing his life in flood rescue work, Harry Vaske, WPA worker was the first drowning victim in the deluge that took heavy toll in Cincinnati. Fellow workers are shown as they brought Vaske's body to shore, after the boat in which he been transporting refugees had capsized in the turbulent Ohio River. The photo is from the "Portsmouth, Ohio, flood of 1937", SC 381. This collection contains 37 photographic black and white prints, 21 x 26cm or smaller; and 4 postcards in black in white, 9 x 14 cm. Photographs document the flood damage in Portsmouth, including sandbagging, floodwall construction, and WPA rescue efforts. In 1937, southern Ohio faced one of the worst floods in its history, known today as the "Great Flood of 1937." The Ohio River flood of 1937 took place in late January and February. In Cincinnati, the flood was particularly difficult for the city, where flood levels reached its crest of 79.99 feet on Tuesday, January 26, 1937. Communities along the Ohio River in Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois also faced serious problems. Many people lost their homes as a result of the flood. The Ohio River Flood of 1937 caused more than twenty million dollars in damages. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: sc381_38_01
Subjects: Floods--Ohio River; Portsmouth (Ohio)--Flood, 1937
Places: Portsmouth (Ohio); Scioto County (Ohio)