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Remembering the Flood of March 1997
Copious amounts of rain fell on central Kentucky, southern Ohio, southern Indiana and into West Virginia as the calendar turned from February to March back in 1997. As thunderstorms and large areas of heavy rain repeatedly moved over the same areas, impressive rainfall totals were recorded, with rainfall records being broken in some areas. The deluge resulted in record flooding along smaller streams and some of the worst flooding along the Ohio River since at least 1964, and in some places since the Great Flood of 1937. Several tributaries of the Ohio River set all-time record river crests that still stand today.
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The West Virginia Derecho of April 9, 1991
Many West Virginians and Ohioans easily recall the Derecho of 2012, however, the Derecho of 1991 was comparable in wind speeds and resulting damage. The southwest to northeast moving squall line caused 2 deaths, 86 injuries and over 8,000 insurance claims due to damage to homes and businesses in West Virginia alone.
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The Little Kanawha Flash Floods of 1943
On August 4-5, 1943, one of the deadliest floods in West Virginia history occurred in the Little Kanawha River Basin. Many small streams in Braxton, Calhoun, Gilmer, Ritchie, and Wirt Counties reached stages much higher than previously known as a result of estimated rainfall that amounted to as much as 15 inches in 2 hours. Twenty-three lives were lost as a result of the flood. Although there was considerable flooding of residential property in the communities along the Little Kanawha River, all loss of life occurred along relatively small tributaries. There, in the small valleys, the water rose with great rapidity during the early morning hours of August 5th, carrying away many homes.
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