Video: 'Johnstown Flood'

(Friday, May 31, 1889, 3:10 p.m. local time; during the Johnstown Flood) — 2,209 people in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, perished today when the South Fork Dam collapsed, sending 20 million tons of water and debris toward town.

The rushing water, more than 30 feet high and half a mile wide, reached Johnstown at 4:07 p.m. local time, wiping out the northern half of the city.

The dam had broken after several days of extremely heavy rainfall.

Damage was estimated at $17 million (about $474 million in 2018 dollars).

Video: 'The Johnstown Flood (Full Documentary)'