The Johnstown Dam Disaster and Flood 1889

The Johnstown Flood happened on Friday 31 May, 1889, after the catastrophic failure of the South Fork Dam, located on the south fork of the Little Conemaugh River, Pennsylvania, United States.

The dam failed after several days of extremely heavy rainfall, releasing 14.55 million cubic meters of water. With a volumetric flow rate that temporarily equaled the average flow rate of the Mississippi River, the flood killed 2,209 people.