FLOODS OF MARCH-APRIL 1973 IN SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES
Report prepared jointly by the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 998 FLOODS OF MARCH-APRIL 1973 IN SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES Chattanooga Municipal Airport
Inundated area along South Chickamauga Creek in Chattanooga, Tenn., March 18, 1973. Photograph courtesy of Ten nessee Valley Authority. FLOODS OF MARCH-APRIL 1973 IN SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES
By GEORGE W. EDELEN, JR., of the U.S. Geological Survey and JOHN F. MILLER, of the National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 998
Report prepared jointly by the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1976 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE THOMAS S. KLEPPE, Secretary FREDERICK B. DENT, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION V. E. McKelvey, Director Robert M. White, Administrator
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Edelen, George W Floods of March-April 1973 in Southeastern United States. (Geological Survey professional paper ; 998) Bibliography: p. 1. Floods Southeastern States. I. Miller, John Frederick, 1928- joint author. II. United States. Geological Sur vey. III. United States. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. IV. Title. V. Series: United States. Geological Survey. Professional paper ; 998. GB1399.4.S68E33 551.4'8 76-8427
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 FOREWORD
The U.S. Geological Survey and the National Weather Service have a long history of cooperation in monitoring and describing the Nation's water cycle the movement of wa ter as atmospheric moisture, as precipitation, as runoff, as streamflow, as ground water, and finally, through evaporation, its return to the atmosphere to begin the cycle over again. The cooperative effort has been a natural blending of technical talent and responsibility. The National Weather Service is the Federal agency responsible for monitoring and pre dicting atmospheric moisture and precipitation, for forecasting riverflow, and for issuing warnings of destructive weather events. The U.S. Geological Survey is the primary agen cy for monitoring the quantity and quality of the earthbound water resources, including both ground water and surface water. This report represents another step in the growth of our cooperative efforts. In some ways, this closer working arrangement has been spurred by six major flood disasters that have struck the Nation in the last 5 years. In August 1969, the remnants of Hurricane Camille caused flooding of the James River and other streams in central Virginia that left 152 people dead or missing. In February 1972, the failure of a coal-waste dam sent a flood wave down the Buffalo Creek Valley of West Virginia, leaving 118 people dead or missing. On June 9, 1972, extremely heavy rains over the eastern Black Hills of South Dakota produced record-breaking floods on Rapid Creek and other streams, leaving 237 dead and 8 missing. Beginning on June 18, 1972, the remains of Hurricane Agnes pro duced floods in the Eastern United States from Virginia to New York that killed 117 peo ple in what has been called the worst natural disaster in American history. In March 1973, torrential rains in seven States in the Southeastern United States resulted in severe flood ing in nine major river basins, including the Tennessee River basin. Seven lives were lost, hundreds were made homeless, and heavy damages occurred in urban and industrial areas. Most recently, the spring 1973 floods on the Mississippi River produced a record 89 days of floodflow at Vicksburg, Miss., and 78 days at St. Louis, Mo., and inundated more than 11 million acres of land. More than 30,000 homes were damaged during the flood. These disasters emphasize the need to know more about and respect the force and flow of floodwater. Hopefully, the documentation of floods in the Southeastern States dur ing March-April 1973 will aid the understanding of such flood disasters and will help improve human preparedness for coping with future floods of similar cata strophic magnitudes,
JOSEPH S. CRAGWALL, JR. GEORGE P. CRESSMAN Chief Hydrologist Director U.S. Geological Survey National Weather Service Department of the Interior Department of Commerce
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