Remembering the St. Patrick's Day flood of 1936, one of Pennsylvania's worst natural disasters
This flood was the driving factor behind the passage of the Flood Control Act of 1936, "which unleashed a flurry of federally sponsored dam-building."
Credit: Photo courtesy of the Detre Library & Archives at the Senator John Heinz History Center
Author: Isabel Soisson (FOX43)
Updated: 11:38 AM EDT March 17, 2021
PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Much like how St. Patrick's Day has looked different the past two years due to the spread of COVID-19, St. Patrick's Day in 1936 looked different as well.
On March 17, 1936, a flood resulted in one of the worst natural disasters the state has seen, according to the Senator John Heinz History Center, which is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution.