Readers’ interest in the flood today may be driven, in part, by the current concern about the antidemocratic power of great wealth in American society. Roker’s account is more emphatic in holding the club members accountable for their negligence. One might question why another narrative history is needed given David McCullough’s page-turning The Johnstown Flood, now celebrating its 50th anniversary. Now we have a new popular history of the disaster by weatherman Al Roker. The flood resulted in the biggest news story of the period and a national scandal. In a horrifying display of the power of nature, some 2,200 residents perished. The flood was caused by the breaking of a dam owned by the South Fork Fishing & Hunting Club, a group of Pittsburgh industrialists and financiers. The Johnstown Flood of 1889 retains its fascination. The Heroes and Villains of the Johnstown Flood, America’s Astonishing Gilded Age Disaster
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