Tuesday marked the 133rd Anniversary of the Great Johnstown Flood. Where more than 2200 people died when the South Fork Dam broke sending hundreds of thousands of gallons of water rushing into the city.
A total of 4 square miles of the city was leveled by the 20 million tons of water that rushed from the dam when it gave way.
The largest wave of water was 35 to 40 feet high and hit Johnstown at 40 miles per hour.
At the National Flood Memorial visitors center park rangers placed wreaths on both the North and South abutments on the remains of the South Fork Dam at 4:07 Pm Tuesday the exact time water reached Johnstown.
Then, the 2,209 luminaries lining the remains of the dam were lit.
“This was a huge tragic event that happened here in the area and this is the most important thing that we do here at the park. This is why Johnstown Flood National Memorial is here is to remember the 2,209 victims of the Johnstown flood.”
Each one of the luminaries had the name of a flood victim written on it.