Tuesday, March 04, 2008

The Flood of 1938

This is the 70th anniversary of one of Orange County's most widespread disasters, the flood of 1938. The photo above shows the overflowing Santa Ana River, near the current MWD plant in Fountain Valley. In fact, the flood covered huge swaths of north and central O.C., taking lives and causing enormous property damage. Read more about the flood in today's Register.
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4 comments:

  1. ItsNotAPlace7:34 AM

    I've never seen that photo of the flood before Chris. Thanks for posting. The article and photos in the Register are very good too.

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  2. Anonymous1:02 PM

    I've got a great aerial photo of the Southeast HB area during that 1938 flood, with labels showing the present-day major streets. The river was emptying into the ocean from Beach Blvd. down to the Costa Mesa bluffs. I'll try to remember to scan and send that to you...

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  3. Chris Jepsen7:22 PM

    Bob: I would love to see that! I'm especially interested in SEHB.

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  4. Anonymous11:35 PM

    I remember that flood well. I was born and raised in Santa Monica. The 1938 pictures of the Santa Monica Canyon show a grand mess. There are motion pictures taken there. These are kept at UCLA. I'd join the Alumni Association but I'm too old to go there and Alumni are not permitted on line library privileges. I have some of the pictures and a grand Orange County picture already on my computer. The flood was worse in Orange County because the warm rain melted snow above San Bernardino. tillmanns@iwvisp.com

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