Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Dangerously weakened by the force of the raging floodwaters, many buildings such as this
Jeffersonville lumber warehouse collapsed. Acting Jeffersonville mayor Edward M. “Tuck”
Coots estimated the damage from the flood at more than $10 million. (Coots, the county
coroner and a funeral home owner, took over in the absence of Mayor A. W. Jacobs, who
was in Florida recuperating from an illness.)
The Jeffersonville Fire Department's headquarters stand completely surrounded by the
floodwaters. Fire was a constant concern during the flood because the raging floodwaters
would lift houses off their foundations, snapping their gas lines and spewing gas in the air,
where it could easily be ignited by a careless smoker or a simple spark.
