By james art 
In late January and early February 1937. the Ohio River swelled to unprecedented levels, marking what is now considered the most devastating natural disaster in the history of the Ohio River Valley. Known as “The Great Flood of 1937,” this crash left an indelible mark on the region stretching from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Cairo, Illinois. More than a million people were driven from their homes and 385 lives were lost in a disaster that came at a time of great hardship: the Great Depression.
The origin of the flood was a combination of heavy snowfall, unseasonably warm weather and heavy rains over several days. The Ohio River, which had experienced its share of flooding, was simply not prepared for the sheer volume of water from the rapid snowmelt combined with intense rainfall. In Huntington, West Virginia, on January 28, 1937. the river reached an astonishing 69.45 feet – more than 19 feet above flood stage.
Entire communities were overwhelmed as water levels rose, forcing evacuations and trapping people in their homes. Huntington’s population of 40,000 saw 25,000 residents displaced. Many climbed onto attics and rooftops to wait for rescue, and in the absence of modern emergency services like 911, rescues were improvised and often slow. The Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) and Norfolk & Western (N&W) railroads ran special evacuation trains, and as the passenger cars filled, people crowded into cars and even cattle cars, desperate to escape the rising waters.
Refugee camps have sprung up on the upper floors of factories and downtown buildings. At the Huntington Municipal Auditorium, families rallied together, relying on the Red Cross and other organizations for help, with more than 11,000 people applying for Red Cross assistance.
The financial damage from the flood was staggering. Property losses were estimated at $500 million in 1937 dollars, which would be roughly $8.5 billion today. Many families lost everything from homes to belongings. Business was just as badly affected; to stay afloat (literally), some even made deliveries by boat, earning the area the nickname: “The Venice of Ohio.”
Photographs of the 1937 flood. capture haunting images of cities submerged in water. The Herald-Dispatch published a front-page photo on Jan. 19, 1937, showing streets turned into rivers, with buildings partially submerged. In one striking image, boats move along a flooded Fourth Avenue as people try to salvage what they can from the floodwaters.
The US Army Corps of Engineers documented much of the devastation. Photos show Marshall University partially submerged, the flooded Coal Exchange Building and delivery trucks thrown from trees. A particularly striking image shows a man trying to climb the facade of a building on Third Avenue, illustrating the desperate measures people took to survive.
Years later, historian James Casto likened the 1937 Ohio River flood. of Hurricane Katrina for the region. The flood shattered communities and left behind heartbreak and resilience. For many, it became a lifelong landmark, shaping regional policies and eventually leading to flood control projects.
The Great Flood of 1937 not only defined an era, but also served as a sobering reminder of the power of nature and the vulnerability of human settlements along major waterways. Today, those living in the Ohio River Valley continue to remember and honor the lives affected by the worst flooding the region has ever seen.