Historical Flooding Events

Black and white photographs depicting severe flooding disasters, showcasing the impact on communities and infrastructures during past natural calamities.

The Hurricane of 1900 made landfall on September 8, 1900, in the city of Galveston, Texas, in the United States. It had estimated winds of 145 miles per hour (233 km/h) at landfall, making it a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. It was the deadliest hurricane in US history. The hurricane caused great loss of life with the estimated death toll between 6,000 and 12,000 individuals; the number most cited in official reports is 8,000, giving the storm the third-highest number of deaths or injuries of any Atlantic hurricane, after the Great Hurricane of 1780 and 1998's Hurricane Mitch. The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 is the deadliest natural disaster ever to strike the United States. The hurricane occurred before the practice of assigning official code names to tropical storms was instituted, and thus it is commonly referred to under a variety of descriptive names. Typical names for the storm include the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, the Great Galveston Hurricane, and, e

Houses, people , Tornadoes, Ruins. Lawrence

Houses, people , Tornadoes, Ruins. Lawrence

Towns and Cities: Abandoned - Mississippi. Photographs Relating to National Forests, Resource Management Practices, Personnel, and Cultural and Economic History

The Hurricane of 1900 made landfall on September 8, 1900, in the city of Galveston, Texas, in the United States. It had estimated winds of 145 miles per hour (233 km/h) at landfall, making it a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. It was the deadliest hurricane in US history. The hurricane caused great loss of life with the estimated death toll between 6,000 and 12,000 individuals; the number most cited in official reports is 8,000, giving the storm the third-highest number of deaths or injuries of any Atlantic hurricane, after the Great Hurricane of 1780 and 1998's Hurricane Mitch. The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 is the deadliest natural disaster ever to strike the United States. The hurricane occurred before the practice of assigning official code names to tropical storms was instituted, and thus it is commonly referred to under a variety of descriptive names. Typical names for the storm include the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, the Great Galveston Hurricane, and, e

Anefo photo collection. Destruction: Westkapelle. Overview of deserts Westkapelle. In the background the lighthouse. 1945. Westkapelle, Zeeland

The Hurricane of 1900 made landfall on September 8, 1900, in the city of Galveston, Texas, in the United States. It had estimated winds of 145 miles per hour (233 km/h) at landfall, making it a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. It was the deadliest hurricane in US history. The hurricane caused great loss of life with the estimated death toll between 6,000 and 12,000 individuals; the number most cited in official reports is 8,000, giving the storm the third-highest number of deaths or injuries of any Atlantic hurricane, after the Great Hurricane of 1780 and 1998's Hurricane Mitch. The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 is the deadliest natural disaster ever to strike the United States. The hurricane occurred before the practice of assigning official code names to tropical storms was instituted, and thus it is commonly referred to under a variety of descriptive names. Typical names for the storm include the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, the Great Galveston Hurricane, and, e

Tree flung up by a N.S.W. flood. Wellington is working to clear its tree-choked river. April 01, 1954. (Photo by E. Mcneil Kempsey).

Injured Trees - Massachusetts. Photographs Relating to National Forests, Resource Management Practices, Personnel, and Cultural and Economic History

Seeking Their Dead: The Yokohama Horror... Showing Japanese seeking for dead and injured relatives in the ruins of their homes, a few hours after the terrible earthquake in Japan.

The Fury of Mother Nature (Fourth of Six) -- This was main street in Johnstown, Pa., after the town was hit by the famous flood. More than 2,200 persons perished in this 1889 *****. November 12, 1953. (Photo by United Press).

The Hurricane of 1900 made landfall on September 8, 1900, in the city of Galveston, Texas, in the United States. It had estimated winds of 145 miles per hour (233 km/h) at landfall, making it a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. It was the deadliest hurricane in US history. The hurricane caused great loss of life with the estimated death toll between 6,000 and 12,000 individuals; the number most cited in official reports is 8,000, giving the storm the third-highest number of deaths or injuries of any Atlantic hurricane, after the Great Hurricane of 1780 and 1998's Hurricane Mitch. The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 is the deadliest natural disaster ever to strike the United States. The hurricane occurred before the practice of assigning official code names to tropical storms was instituted, and thus it is commonly referred to under a variety of descriptive names. Typical names for the storm include the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, the Great Galveston Hurricane, and, e

The Hurricane of 1900 made landfall on September 8, 1900, in the city of Galveston, Texas, in the United States. It had estimated winds of 145 miles per hour (233 km/h) at landfall, making it a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. It was the deadliest hurricane in US history. The hurricane caused great loss of life with the estimated death toll between 6,000 and 12,000 individuals; the number most cited in official reports is 8,000, giving the storm the third-highest number of deaths or injuries of any Atlantic hurricane, after the Great Hurricane of 1780 and 1998's Hurricane Mitch. The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 is the deadliest natural disaster ever to strike the United States. The hurricane occurred before the practice of assigning official code names to tropical storms was instituted, and thus it is commonly referred to under a variety of descriptive names. Typical names for the storm include the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, the Great Galveston Hurricane, and, e

The Hurricane of 1900 made landfall on September 8, 1900, in the city of Galveston, Texas, in the United States. It had estimated winds of 145 miles per hour (233 km/h) at landfall, making it a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. It was the deadliest hurricane in US history. The hurricane caused great loss of life with the estimated death toll between 6,000 and 12,000 individuals; the number most cited in official reports is 8,000, giving the storm the third-highest number of deaths or injuries of any Atlantic hurricane, after the Great Hurricane of 1780 and 1998's Hurricane Mitch. The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 is the deadliest natural disaster ever to strike the United States. The hurricane occurred before the practice of assigning official code names to tropical storms was instituted, and thus it is commonly referred to under a variety of descriptive names. Typical names for the storm include the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, the Great Galveston Hurricane, and, e

East Point harbour, swamped with debris and shipwrecks in the aftermath of a devastating typhoon that killed an estimated 10,000 people. Original manuscript caption: Hong Kong Typhoon 18.9.06. A small corner of the Harbour with Junk wreckage.

A woman walks through a passageway opened in the debris, on 19th Street, Galveston, Texas. In the distance stand homes spared complete destruction during the Galveston Hurricane of Sept. 1900 (BSLOC_2017_17_89)

Anefo photo collection. Storm destroyed houses along beach (Zandvoort); Large havoc on Zandvoort. April 20, 1980. Noord-Holland, Zandvoort

Description: Barbados. Survivors of hurricane Janet gaze in silence at the wreckage of their homes. Photograph No 21169 Official Barbados photograph compiled by Central Office of Information. Department of Education hand stamp appears on the reverse. Location: Barbados Date: 1955 barbados, caribbean, caribbeanthroughalens

Kempsey Flood - "Words above the flood". September 23, 1949.

Towns and Cities: Abandoned - Mississippi. Photographs Relating to National Forests, Resource Management Practices, Personnel, and Cultural and Economic History

Migrant workers' camp, outskirts of Marysville, California. The new migratory camps now being built by the Resettlement Administration will remove people from unsatisfactory living conditions such as these and substitute at least the minimum of comfort and sanitation. April 1936. 1935. Photographs. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection. California , Marysville, California , Yuba County, Internal migrants

Where Former President Hoover Fished - This is the tangled remains of Long Key lodge, fashionable fishing resort. Valued at $300,000. It is a total loss. October 14, 1935. (Photo by Laughead, Associated Press Photo).

Smoldering ruins of the Great Chelsea Fire , Fires, Ruins. Chelsea Public Library Archive Collection

Anefo photo collection. The queen visits the Disaster area Tricht. Disasters, destructions, tornadoes. June 26, 1967. Gelderland, Tricht

Debris, people , Tornadoes, Ruins. Lawrence

Windhoos on Ameland

Fire Damage Along Swamp. Central Plains Region (Kansas City, MO). Photographic Print. Department of the Interior. Bureau of Indian Affairs. Red Lake Agency. 1964-. Photographs

Flood Effects - West Virginia. Photographs Relating to National Forests, Resource Management Practices, Personnel, and Cultural and Economic History

Debris , Tornadoes, Ruins. Lawrence

The Hurricane of 1900 made landfall on September 8, 1900, in the city of Galveston, Texas, in the United States. It had estimated winds of 145 miles per hour (233 km/h) at landfall, making it a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. It was the deadliest hurricane in US history. The hurricane caused great loss of life with the estimated death toll between 6,000 and 12,000 individuals; the number most cited in official reports is 8,000, giving the storm the third-highest number of deaths or injuries of any Atlantic hurricane, after the Great Hurricane of 1780 and 1998's Hurricane Mitch. The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 is the deadliest natural disaster ever to strike the United States. The hurricane occurred before the practice of assigning official code names to tropical storms was instituted, and thus it is commonly referred to under a variety of descriptive names. Typical names for the storm include the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, the Great Galveston Hurricane, and, e

The Hurricane of 1900 made landfall on September 8, 1900, in the city of Galveston, Texas, in the United States. It had estimated winds of 145 miles per hour (233 km/h) at landfall, making it a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. It was the deadliest hurricane in US history. The hurricane caused great loss of life with the estimated death toll between 6,000 and 12,000 individuals; the number most cited in official reports is 8,000, giving the storm the third-highest number of deaths or injuries of any Atlantic hurricane, after the Great Hurricane of 1780 and 1998's Hurricane Mitch. The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 is the deadliest natural disaster ever to strike the United States. The hurricane occurred before the practice of assigning official code names to tropical storms was instituted, and thus it is commonly referred to under a variety of descriptive names. Typical names for the storm include the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, the Great Galveston Hurricane, and, e

Piles of debris in a residential street in Dayton Ohio in 1913. Levee's containing the Great Miami River failed during the Great Flood of 1913, Ohio's largest weather disaster of the early 20th century (BSLOC_2017_17_98)

Smokestack still standing , Tornadoes, Debris. Lawrence

Austin. Stable Housing Refugees

Elsevier photo collection. Destruction cyclone Borculo. Uproached trees collapsed. August 1925. Borculo

Anefo photo collection. Water disaster in NW-Germany. 18 February 1962. Germany

1964 Alaska Earthquake. A 30 foot high tidal wave caused by the 9.2 earthquake destroyed low lying areas of coastal town of Seward, Alaska. March 27, 1964.

Elsevier photo collection. Windhoos Tricht destroyed hundred houses. 27 June 1967. Gelderland, Tricht

Smokestack still standing , Tornadoes, Debris. Lawrence

Fire Ravaged Canadian City -- These blocks of Canadian city of Rimouski, Que., show how wind-whipped fire levelled buildings in disaster which made more than 2,000 homeless and did damage estimated as high as 20,000 000. A few cars carrying the curious make their way along street in foreground.Two thousand homeless. When fire ravaged the Canadian city of Rimouski. 2000 people were made homeless. Damage was estimated at 20,000,000 dollars. May 07, 1950. (Photo by AP Wirephoto).

Potomac flood & ice in Washington, D.C. ca. between 1909 and 1940.

Chelsea fire, April 27, 08 , Fires, Ruins. Chelsea Public Library Archive Collection

Vintage Photograph. Litter at a junkyard.

'Dust Storm in the Midwest, 1935' No photographer given

Chelsea fire, April 27, 08 , Fires, Ruins. Chelsea Public Library Archive Collection

Debris , Tornadoes, Ruins. Lawrence

Omaha - 35th & Cass after cyclone

08/31/1926. USA. The Terrible Florida Catastrophe. Aspect of the Destructions Caused by the formidable Hurricane that caused a large number of deaths and damages that exceeded 125 million dollars.

In the track of a Kansas cyclone, U.S.A. American views. 1850 - 1930. still image. Stereographs, Photographs. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection. Kansas, Houses , Russian , Bulgaria , Brestovets, Tornadoes

Anefo photo collection. Garbage in the Mediumveldse Akerpolder where mercury, lead and other metals have been found. 2 February 1981. Amsterdam, Middelveldsche Akerpolder, Noord-Holland

Debris, people , Tornadoes, Ruins. Lawrence

Debris, people , Tornadoes, Ruins. Lawrence

Debris, people , Tornadoes, Ruins. Lawrence

Urakami River. Nagasaki... Scene In Area Of Medical School, 1/2 Mile From Explosion, Showing Damage From Blast And Fire. Note Tilt In Smokestack In Background Caused By Pressure Wave.

1959. Debris after the Ribadelago flood.

New England Hurricane, 1938. New England Hurricane, 1938

Anefo photo collection. Windhoos at Camping Duinoord on Ameland, three deaths and hundreds of injured, having ravage at the campsite. August 11, 1972. Ameland, Friesland

05/30/1960. Tsunami in Japan. The Gigantic Waves that Hit the Eastern Coast of the Country, Caused by the Chilean Earthquake, Caused Considerable Damage. In the Image, a sample of It: We see the appearance of the city of Hachido, after the catastrophe.

Vintage Photograph. Floods during hurricane Betsy in New Orleans Louisiana.

The Hurricane of 1900 made landfall on September 8, 1900, in the city of Galveston, Texas, in the United States. It had estimated winds of 145 miles per hour (233 km/h) at landfall, making it a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. It was the deadliest hurricane in US history. The hurricane caused great loss of life with the estimated death toll between 6,000 and 12,000 individuals; the number most cited in official reports is 8,000, giving the storm the third-highest number of deaths or injuries of any Atlantic hurricane, after the Great Hurricane of 1780 and 1998's Hurricane Mitch. The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 is the deadliest natural disaster ever to strike the United States. The hurricane occurred before the practice of assigning official code names to tropical storms was instituted, and thus it is commonly referred to under a variety of descriptive names. Typical names for the storm include the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, the Great Galveston Hurricane, and, e

Homesteads - Occupied. Photographs Relating to National Forests, Resource Management Practices, Personnel, and Cultural and Economic History

These two photos show the destruction caused by a tornado that struck Omaha, Nebraska, in April 1913. The label for the photos is: The Power of the Wind."

These two photos show the destruction caused by a tornado that struck Omaha, Nebraska, in April 1913. The label for the photos is: The Power of the Wind.'.

Beach clean-up after flooding, Gisborne photographic postcards, gelatin silver prints

Lessing's Pictures on Coal - Housing. Photographs of Marshall Plan Programs, Exhibits, and Personnel

Vintage Photograph. Flood during hurricane Betsy in New Orleans.

Heap of trash in front of abandoned house

The Hurricane of 1900 made landfall on September 8, 1900, in the city of Galveston, Texas, in the United States. It had estimated winds of 145 miles per hour (233 km/h) at landfall, making it a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. It was the deadliest hurricane in US history. The hurricane caused great loss of life with the estimated death toll between 6,000 and 12,000 individuals; the number most cited in official reports is 8,000, giving the storm the third-highest number of deaths or injuries of any Atlantic hurricane, after the Great Hurricane of 1780 and 1998's Hurricane Mitch. The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 is the deadliest natural disaster ever to strike the United States. The hurricane occurred before the practice of assigning official code names to tropical storms was instituted, and thus it is commonly referred to under a variety of descriptive names. Typical names for the storm include the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, the Great Galveston Hurricane, and, e

Tornado at Omaha, Nebraska - Desolate waste at 30th and Hamilton Streets, April 1913

Flood Effects - Idaho. Photographs Relating to National Forests, Resource Management Practices, Personnel, and Cultural and Economic History

Bird's eye view of Chelsea Fire, April 27, '08 , Fires, Ruins, Cities & towns. Chelsea Public Library Archive Collection

Village of Selawik. Subjects: Wildlife refuges; Selawik National Wildlife Refuge; Subsistence; Villages; Hunting; ARLIS; Alaska.

Debris, people , Tornadoes, Ruins. Lawrence

Anefo photo collection. Easter weather above the Netherlands. Dike breaches, flooding. Totally destroyed beach pavilion in the dunes of Katwijk?. February 1, 1953. Katwijk

Anefo photo collection. Garbage dump church background. March 16, 1953

Missouri - Missouri Flood, Aerial Photograph.

Forest Fires - Damaged Property. Photographs Relating to National Forests, Resource Management Practices, Personnel, and Cultural and Economic History

Wallingford tornado , Houses, Tornadoes

Creator: Stevens, Robert L. Subjects: Wildlife refuges; Selawik National Wildlife Refuge; ARLIS; Villages; Alaska.

India, Tamil Nadu, A Fishing Village Lies Destroyed By The Indian Ocean Tsunami Of December 26Th 2004.

Photo collection Government information service. Water release disaster 1953. The flooded village of Stavenisse. February 1953. Stavenisse, Zeeland

Elsevier photo collection. Tricht (Betuwe) hit heavy tornado Sunday 25 June 1967; Consequence: 5 killing, 32 wounded 500 people hit homeless. 50 houses totally destroyed, 150 hitting badly damaged .. June 25, 1967. Gelderland, Tricht

Flood Effects - Pennsylvania. Photographs Relating to National Forests, Resource Management Practices, Personnel, and Cultural and Economic History

Madrid, January 20, 1966. State of Madrid after the floods of January 1966.

Northern Östergötlands J, Nöjn Lok 13

Dust Storm Approaching Stratford, Texas

Anefo photo collection. Recovery floods in Belgium (Ruisbroek) started; Houses in the water. January 14, 1976. Belgium

Debris, people , Tornadoes, Ruins. Lawrence

Effects of Earthquakes. Photographs Relating to National Forests, Resource Management Practices, Personnel, and Cultural and Economic History

4 scenes , Tornadoes, Ruins, Trees. Lawrence

Destruction in Landro.

Flood Destroys City -- A section of this one-time ***** workers' metropolis floating in Columbia River flood water *****. June 21, 1948. (Photo by AP Wirephoto).

Ruins Frank Fay School after Big Chelsea Fire, Sunday Apr. 12/08 , Fires, Ruins, Schools. Chelsea Public Library Archive Collection

Flood waters in Washington, D.C. ca. 1918.

A general low aerial view of Hiroshima after the dropping of an atomic bomb, showing the devastation out about 0.4 miles.

Destroyed homes in the Neo Valley in Japan after an earthquake ..

10/31/1971. Palm Island. Eurption of the Teneguía Volcano.

undefined. 1931 - 1963. NARA's Central Plains Region (Kansas City, MO). Photographic Print. Department of the Interior. Fish and Wildlife Service. Minneapolis Regional Office. 1940-1970. Annual Reports

Overall View Of Water Storage Tanks On Top Of 400 Foot Cliff, The Water Point On Ie Shima, Ryukyu Retto.

Windhoos on Ameland

Wallingford tornado , Houses, Tornadoes, Trees

of 3