Thursday, September 01, 2005

A Million People Homeless

Still trying to get my head around that one, let alone the fact that an entire city just basically sank.

I'm reminded of a local city of mine that did a similiar disappearing act. They didn't recover. Try finding Vanport, Oregon today:

Vanport, the 2nd largest city in Oregon and the largest public housing project in the nation was flooded when a dike holding back the Columbia River gave way at 4:05 p.m. on May 30, 1948. Vanport, 15-feet below Columbia's water level, was completely underwater by nightfall. Fifteen people died in the flood. Houses were washed off of their foundations and the entire town was lost.

Vanport, a combined name of the nearby cities -- Vancouver and Portland -- has been erased off maps and all visible traces of the city have disappeared.


Just like that.

4 comments so far. What are your thoughts?

Anonymous said...

That's so sad. There used to be a vital port city here in Texas called Indianola until a hurricane drowned in it 1875.  Now it's a ghost town.  

Posted by kcb

Anonymous said...

It's why it doesn't surprise me that pretty much every culture has a flood "myth."

 

Posted by Kameron Hurley

Anonymous said...

Hey Kam, check out interdictor on livejournal.com
He is in N.O. just trying to make it through each day.  

Posted by Holly Martin

Anonymous said...

It's crazy how fragile a thing as big as a city is. 

Posted by kck