The Johnstown Area Flood of 1977: A Case Study for the Future

In July 1977, the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, area was declared a major disaster area after a flood struck 136 communities in 8 counties and killed 76 people, injured or caused illness to 2,700, and damaged over $300 million in property. Federal disaster assistance to the Johnstown area is expected to total $261 million. Assistance was available to individual victims and State and local governments from 12 Federal agencies responsible for 27 programs.