Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
new town's location at the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers helped it thrive as a
river port but also made it prone to flooding. Still, nothing Paducah had experienced before
prepared its residents for the 1937 flood, which all but swept the town off the map.
The floodwaters at Paducah began rising on January 18 and by January 24 had cut all
communication between the stricken city and the outside world. All roads were blocked, and
the telegraph and telephone lines were out of service. The next day communication was
reestablished by boat, and, with the water still rising and the situation perilous, authorities
undertook the herculean task of evacuating the city via a ragtag flotilla of boats.
