One Of The Worst Disasters In U.S. History Happened Right Here In South Dakota

In the summer of 1972, South Dakotans suffered the worst flood in its history. The Rapid City Flood (aka Black Hills Flood) caused so much damage - and the death toll was so great - that it gained national attention. It was one of the worst disasters in U.S. history, and to this day, the thought of it still brings chills to the spines of those who remember.

Around 3:00 pm on June 9, 1972, a line of large storms developed near Rapid City and began to dump a lot of water on the Black Hills Region.

Reports of heavy rainfall began coming into the National Weather Service from Sturgis, Hermosa, Deadwood, Galena, and Piedmont. In some places, rain was coming down at the rate of two inches per hour.

The storm swept from north to south through the Black Hills. Two dams failed; Rapid Creek and Box Elder Creeks were overflowing. By 7:30 pm, the mayor of Rapid City was notified of an imminent flash flood. Around 10:45 pm, Canyon Lake Dam failed, and flood waters rushed through Rapid City.

By 12:15 am on June 10th, water was pouring into the city at a rate of 50,000 cubic feet per second.

In some places, water rose as much as 3.5 feet in just fifteen minutes. Residents were fighting for their lives as the rushing waters overtook their homes and cars.

238 people lost their lives to the devastating flood.

In 1972, homes were built right on the banks of Rapid Creek.

During the flooding, 1,335 homes were completely destroyed. After the flood, a green-way was established along Rapid Creek so that future floods would cause less damage.

5,000 automobiles were destroyed during the flood.

Of the 23 bridges that crossed Rapid Creek, 15 were completely destroyed, and rail lines were damaged.

After the flood water receded, the total amount of damages caused by the catastrophe came to $160 million dollars (in 1972 dollars, this was the equivalent of nearly $940 million today).

Take a look at this video posted on YouTube by Kristopher Richmond. It shows more photos and some video footage of the flood:

Do you remember the Rapid City Flood of 1972? Tell us your stories about one of the worst disasters in U.S. history in the comments.