By Kevin Rayburn

For University of Louisville students, faculty and staff, the flash flood on Aug. 4 that caused the most significant damage the campus has ever sustained will not soon be forgotten. But they can call on UofL alumni and other Louisvillians in their 70s and 80s for comfort.

For them, the Great Flood of 1937 remains one of the most memorable events of their lives. More than 200,000 residents fled their homes as the Ohio River peaked 40 feet above flood stage, covering three-quarters of the city in January.

According to the National Weather Service, the region received 15 inches of rain in only 12 days, from Jan. 13–24 of that year. More than 19 inches of rain fell over the course of the month. Martial law was declared and damage costs were $50 million in Depression-era dollars.

UofL was affected by the catastrophe, especially at its downtown facilities where water inundated the medical, dental and law schools. The UofL campuses had to close for a time and water even reached higher ground, surrounding UofL’s Belknap campus and its affiliated Municipal College for black students. Students studying for finals found their classes canceled and instead helped move books from the lower to the upper floors of the library. No books were lost. While UofL was hit hard by Louisville’s most recent flood, it escaped relatively unharmed in 1937 compared to the rest of the city.

The waters were at flood stage for three weeks before finally receding below flood stage on Feb. 7.

Almost forgotten in Louisville flood lore was its second worst watery cataclysm, which struck the city in March 1945. Among the heroes of that event were students in the Navy’s V-12 program at UofL, who volunteered to rescue people and valuables threatened by the disaster. Among their efforts was the moving of books at the Louisville Free Public Library from the lower to upper floors and the transport of refugees by boat.

Unfortunately, the Louisville Free Public Library was not spared last month. The flood damaged or ruined about 50,000 books, three bookmobiles, most of the building’s mechanical systems, furniture and 100 computers. It also buckled numerous walls.