The Great Flood of 1913 was a major natural disaster event that many have scarcely heard of; however, this flood drastically impacted Greater Cleveland and the state of Ohio regardless of flood prevention measures taken before and during the disastrous flood. Prior to the flood, in January and February of 1913, there was an onslaught of snowmelt that thawed early for the season and raised the water levels of the Cuyahoga, Licking, Scioto, and Muskingum Rivers higher than average. On March 23 it began to rain, and rain continued for four days. Within only a few days, Ohio was drowning in rainfall levels that are typically only achieved in a two-to-three-month period. The worst-hit city in Ohio, and arguably in the nation, was Dayton which had flood waters reach 20 feet high. When this catastrophic flooding occurred, there was not much anyone could do. Some were able to evacuate, but many were unable to leave and had to wait out the storm.

During the storm, there were not many actions local officials could take to preserve homes, businesses, infrastructure, and most importantly life. Since there had been previous floods along the Cuyahoga River, many assumed that the dams would hold back a considerable amount of water from the city. However, these dams that were put in place to prevent catastrophic flooding were pushed to their limits. One Akron dam failed, pushing even more flood waters through Greater Cleveland. Local officials attempted to alleviate some of the flooding along the Ohio & Erie Canal by dynamiting several canal locks. Despite these preemptive actions, flooding was still severe in Greater Cleveland.

Local public officials attempted to preserve life during this massive flooding event. Officials called to evacuate people to higher ground; however, some individuals were caught in the path of the storm. Cuyahoga Lumber workers were trapped while attempting to preserve their lumber stock. In addition, train depot workers also became trapped and had to be rescued from the second floor of the depot. It was not only workers who had to be rescued from the flooding but also families. In one instance, four children and two parents were rescued from their home because they could not evacuate because the children had measles.

Launching rescue boats during the storm was a dangerous and arduous venture. The fire stations launched rescue operations because they possessed the necessary equipment for rescuing people from the flood waters: pulleys, ropes, and life preservers. The Flats were particularly difficult for rescue boats to navigate due to debris in the water and the strength of the current. In the Flats, several boats flipped while attempting to rescue people. In effect, while trying to prevent loss of life, many individuals inadvertently put their own lives at risk. Fortunately, no one perished while attempting to rescue those caught in the flood waters.

It took days following the flood to determine the extent of the damage as a result of telegraph and telephone service outages, as well as general communication delays in rural areas. Eventually, it became widely known that the damage was extensive. In Ohio, at least 428 people lost their lives, and 20,000 homes and an untold number of businesses were destroyed in the Great Flood. Public infrastructure was also a concern, such as backed-up sewers, contaminated drinking water, closed and inaccessible grocery stores, washed-out railroads, and destroyed bridges. It took weeks for the flood waters to recede enough to start the cleanup effort. Over half of all the property damage caused by the Great Flood occurred in Ohio and cost $3 billion in today’s money.

There were difficult decisions to be made in the days, weeks, and years following the flood. One of the major decisions following the flood was to discontinue the commercial use of the Ohio & Erie Canal. In the first decade of the 20th century, Ohio legislators appropriated funding for a series of renovations to the canal in the hopes of making the canal become a commercial corridor like it was in the early to mid-19th century. Despite repairs, Greater Cleveland industries did not switch back to utilizing the canal. When the flood hit, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Although the flood ended the Ohio & Erie Canal as a commercial waterway, thanks to later natural and historic preservation efforts, people can enjoy a day of recreation along the canal’s Towpath Trail today.

Another major effect of the Great Flood was the passage of the Vonderheide Act (Ohio Conservancy Law) in 1914. This enabling legislation authorized tax-funded flood infrastructure improvements and established watershed districts. Although the law was challenged all the way up to the Supreme Court, it stood and the Miami Conservancy District in southern Ohio became the country’s first major watershed district. The state of Ohio also repaired and added new levees and dams throughout the Ohio Valley with the hope of staving off any future major flooding event.

Although the Great Flood caused extensive damage across numerous states, the disaster is not widely known because the flood is often conceptualized in innumerable cities and towns as a local event rather than a large multistate event. Many may come across floods that are labeled locally, such as the Great Dayton Flood or the Great Indianapolis Flood, but all these floods occurred in March 1913 as part of a larger event. The Great Flood caused extensive damage that changed Ohio’s laws, flood precautions, and ended a major commercial waterway earning the flood its title as “Ohio’s greatest weather event.”

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April 21, 1909 started out like any other day in Cleveland but that was quickly to change. Around noon the sky over the city darkened and the temperature dropped rapidly. A few minutes later at 12:36, wind speeds increased rapidly, creating a deadly tornado that would tear a path through Cleveland and bring tragedy to the Broadway (Warszawa) neighborhood, known today as Slavic Village. Although the storm only lasted five minutes, it left behind a wake of death and destruction.

A number of industries were impacted and forced to halt production for days following the storm. Leisy Brewing Company, 3400 Vega Avenue, was heavily damaged when the roof was blown from the building. Rain damaged a number of machines and spoiled the beer that was brewing as well as the entirety of raw supplies kept on hand. Initial estimates of the damage were a little over $100,000.

After carving a broad swath of the city's Near West Side, the tornado bore down on the Cedar-Central neighborhood to the east. Standard Tools Company’s roof was also blown off due to the high winds, injuring three employees. Fire walls were broken and the blacksmith and finishing areas sustained heavy water damage that destroyed machinery. The company, located at 2250 East 71st Street, suspended work for two days in unaffected areas as workers attempted to repair what they could and prevent further damage. The roof of Standard Tools was blown onto the building of Williams-Seaver-Morgan causing that roof to cave injuring 15 workers. Homes in the vicinity near the three companies were damaged from the flying debris, particularly from the roof of the brewery, forcing families from their homes.

Although the Broadway (Warszawa) neighborhood stood well away from the largest concentrations of damage, it bore the worst single outcome on that April afternoon. The greatest damage sustained during the storm was to St. Stanislaus Church on East 65th Street. High winds toppled the steeples of the church, causing debris to fly in all directions, some of which caused damage to the nearby St. Stanislaus School. One boy, Arthur Neibralski, died when a brick fell from one of the steeples and struck him. The damage to the church was estimated at $125,000, over half of what it initially cost to build the church.

While St. Stanislaus suffered the most damage, it was not the only church affected. St. Wenceslas’ steeple broke, landing on two homes and reducing them to rubble. Immanuel Church’s steeple did not fall but was loosened and had a large crack running its entire length.

Despite the amount of destruction the storm left in its wake, the city reacted swiftly and was able to restore power and telephone lines to most of the city within four days. Following the storm, new policies and regulations were put into place in attempts to prevent such extensive damage in future. Immediately after the storm, city leaders looked to pass an ordinance that would forbid the building of high steeples. While the regulation was not passed to the extent originally intended, an ordinance was approved that prohibited roof structures to be more than 70 to 150 ft. above the grade (ground) depending on the classification of the structure. If a steeple's height exceeded 100 feet, the supports had to be carried down to the ground. This ordinance limited the height of future steeples and effectively halted efforts to rebuild the damaged ones.

Prior to the storm, tornado insurance advertisements show its being purchased solely as part of a package with fire insurance, and the amount of coverage was limited. A number of insurance companies did not even advertise tornado insurance as it was not a prominent concern in the city. In the immediate aftermath of the storm, this practice was revised and tornado insurance advertisements brought attention to the purchasing of tornado coverage as a separate plan, and almost twice as many companies began to advertise their coverage.

The storm left a six-mile-long path of destruction estimated to be over $2,000,000 in damages, halted production throughout the city, and left many without power or even homeless. Nevertheless, the storm also showed the resilience of Cleveland – within days the power was back on, the streets were cleared of debris, most businesses had reopened, and repairs were underway.

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