Tropical Storm Agnes 45 years later

What to look for on Smart Talk Thursday, June 22, 2017:

Forty-five years ago this week Tropical Storm Agnes ravaged Pennsylvania, resulting in the deaths of 48 people, causing 2.1 billion dollars in damage, destroying 68,000 homes and leaving 270,000 people homeless.  At the time, it was the worst natural disaster to hit the state and is still high on that infamous list.

What began as a tropical depression in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico grew into a hurricane but then was downgraded to a tropical storm.  While most think of hurricanes as more dangerous, up to 20 inches of rain fell on the East Coast.  The Susquehanna River Watershed was at the epicenter of Agnes.  Towns and cities along the river were flooded and many devastated.  Buildings were moved off their foundations, many people got around or were rescued by boat and it changed the way municipal planners and developers thought about their futures.

Agnes is one of those events that everyone who lived at the time remembers distinctly.  They are quick to tell their stories.

Thursday’s Smart Talk marks the Agnes anniversary with David Morrison, the Acting Executive Director of Historic Harrisburg Association and historian Jeb Stuart.

There are a number of commemoration events we’ll discuss as well.