Johnstown Flood

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/johnstown-flood

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the location of dam failure?South Fork of the Little Conemaugh River, Pennsylvania
2. What is the date of catastrophic failure?May 31, 1889
3. What happened on May 31, 1889 in Johnstown?The South Fork Dam broke, sending a huge wall of water down the valley and flooding the town.
4. Why did the South Fork Dam break?Heavy rain filled Lake Conemaugh, the dam was already leaking and had been weakened by changes and poor maintenance.

South Fork Dam: A man-made earthen dam that failed, causing the 1889 Johnstown Flood.
Lake Conemaugh: The large reservoir created by the South Fork Dam, which broke.
Hydrostatic Pressure: The force exerted by a liquid due to its weight.
American Red Cross: A humanitarian organization providing disaster relief and emergency assistance.