Great Dayton flood: A disaster that shaped Ohio's history forever
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – The 112th anniversary of the greatest natural disaster in Ohio's history will be Thursday, March 26.
The Great Dayton Flood caused over 360 deaths, displaced 65,000 people and left a trail of a devastating $100 million (approximately $2.3 billion today) in damage. Over 1,400 horses and 2,000 domestic animals died in the flood.
It took over a year to rebuild and over a decade for Dayton to recover economically from the flood.
To this day, the Miami Conservancy District works diligently to prevent another flood of this magnitude in the Miami Valley.
It began on Friday, March 21, 1913, with a typical March storm with heavy winds.
Stratacache Tower damaged after winds cause partial collapse of adjacent building
The next day, Saturday, March 22, was sunny until a second storm hit, dropping Dayton to a freezing 25 degrees. This caused dirt and mud to freeze, only slowly thawing in the afternoon.
On Sunday, March 23, which happened to be Easter Sunday, a third storm rocked most of the Miami Valley. This storm filled the Great Miami River with run-off and soaked the ground.
The Great Miami reached its high stage for the year at 11.6 feet on March 24, due to over 10 inches of rainfall.
At midnight on Tuesday, March 25, the Dayton Police Department was warned the Herman Street levee was weakening. The DPD sat off alarms and sirens to warn the public.
At approximately 5:30 a.m., city engineer Gaylord Cummin said the surface water in the levees was following at an astonishing 100,000 cubic feet per second. By 6 a.m. the levees burst over into the streets. At roughly 8 a.m., levees near downtown burst, causing more flooding.
On Wednesday, March 26, the situation became dire. By 1:30 a.m., the flooding waters reached a peak of 20 feet in downtown.
A major gas explosion happened downtown by Wilkinson and Fifth Street. The Dayton Fire Department could not reach the area due to the flood and the entire city block burned. These open gas lines caused multiple fires through Dayton, all in unreachable areas.
The Ohio National Guard was deployed to help but could not reach Dayton for days because of the flood spreading beyond the Miami Valley. Thousands of people camped in tents for survival.
President Woodrow Wilson sent messages to the governors of Ohio and Indiana, asking them what they needed. Per request, he sent emergency tents, desperately needed food rations and medics.
The NCR factory on Stewart Street was made into an emergency shelter and hospital for everyone. John H. Patterson and his employees worked tirelessly, building over 300 rescue boats and saving the lives of thousands.
Patterson ensured local reporters and photographers were able to continue their critical work. Feeding, housing and giving them access to any equipment they needed. Because the flood destroyed the Dayton Daily News printing press, he allowed them to use NCR's own press. This ensured the critical line of communication between Dayton and AP newswires.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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