The Hurricane Agnes Flood of 1972

In late June 1972, a tropical storm named Agnes crept its way up the eastern United States. When Agnes came to Northeastern Pennsylvania, it stopped moving and poured trillions of gallons of water onto the area. This caused major flooding along the Susquehanna River. The river rose to more than 40 feet, overtaking the dike and sandbags placed by local volunteers. Flooding in Wilkes-Barre and the surrounding area was catastrophic, even creating a new landscape in some areas. Houses were destroyed, a cemetery was torn apart and a hospital was evacuated. The devastation of ths flooding caused $2 trillion in damages.