The 1951 flood in Kansas began in May with the flood of the Big Creek, (a tributary of the Smoky Hill River) in Hays after 11 inches (280 mm) of rain in two hours. The creek overflowed, flooding Hays (the location of Fort Hays State University) to a depth of 4 feet (1.2 m) in most locations inhabited by the students on campus, necessitating a midnight evacuation of the barracks by families on the G.I. Bill and dorms to the Stadium's third floor, which was still dry. Dr. Charles F. Wiest, Professor of Philosophy and Religion, and his seven-year-old daughter perished when their home caved in under the weight of the water while he was attempting to save prized texts in his basement. All records at the college were ruined and no graduation was held on the appointed date of May 23. Graduates were mailed their diplomas one month later.
At the time, there were no warning sirens in Hays. Two police officers drove the low riding streets with their sirens blaring, shouting to evacuate. They are credited with saving many lives.
The flooding continued into June 1951 with heavy rains. The flooding reached its zenith when between 8 and 16 inches (410 mm) fell on the region between July 9 and July 13. The flood levels reached their highest point since the Great Flood of 1844 and Flood of 1903. July 13 experienced the single highest levels of flood, leading to the greatest destruction by flood in the Midwest as of then.
The specific flood-levels are not accurately known for the Kansas River, as the water crested above all official flood gauges. However, between Manhattan and Bonner Springs flood levels were between 4 feet (1.2 m) and 6 feet (1.8 m) above all previous records. The Marais Des Cygnes River, Verdigris River, and Neosho River crested more than 9 feet (2.7 m) above previous records.
The heaviest initial damage by the flood crest was to Manhattan and Fort Riley. Barracks at the Fort were destroyed, and in Manhattan the downtown business district was deluged under 8 feet (2.4 m) of water and two people were killed.[2] Then, Topeka and Lawrence were damaged by the same crest. Approximately 24,000 people were evacuated from Topeka.
On July 17, President Harry Truman toured the damage by airplane, as far west as Manhattan, and declared the disaster "one of the worst this country has ever suffered from water".[3]
Following this flood, a series of levees and reservoirs were constructed throughout eastern Kansas. This new network of flood control structures helped to prevent widespread damage when the region was hit by the Great Flood of 1993.
Since then, many dams have been constructed with a total of eighteen dams controlling the flow of the Kansas River, such as Webster Dam and Kirwin Dam on tributaries of the Solomon River in Kansas. Many other reservoirs and levees were built in other nearby basins, which were also built as part of the response to this flood. This includes the Osage River basin above the Lake of the Ozarks.
North Lawrence has a building shaped like a teepee, with a mark on the side indicating the water height of 7 feet (2.1 m) around the building.[4]
In 2011, the painting Flood Disaster by Thomas Hart Benton was sold for $1.9 million in an auction at Sotheby's in New York City. Benton had made the painting at the time of the flood and sent lithographs to every member of Congress to support a flood appropriations bill.[5][6]
Comparison to other big floods
This USGS exhibit shows flood levels at Westport Landing on the Missouri River in Kansas City. The ASB Bridge is in the background.
Channeling and levee construction have altered how the floods have hit various areas along the Missouri River. Here is a comparison of the three big floods since the early 19th century.
The Great Flood of 1844 was the biggest flood of the three in terms of rate of discharge at Westport Landing in Kansas City. It is estimated that 625,000 cubic feet per second (17,700 m3/s) was discharged in the flood. On July 16, 1844, the crest was almost one foot lower than the 1993 flood.
The Great Flood of 1951 was the second biggest in rate of discharge at 573,000 cubic feet per second (16,200 m3/s). The 1951 crest on July 14, 1951, was almost 2 feet (0.61 m) lower than the 1844 flood and 3 feet (0.91 m) lower than 1993. However, the flood was the most devastating of all modern floods for Kansas City because its levee system was not built to withstand it. It destroyed the city's stockyards and forced the building of an airport away from the Missouri River bottoms.
In the Missouri River Flood of 1952 in the following year, flooding just upstream on the Missouri River caused the Rosecrans Memorial Airport to be cut off from the City of St. Joseph, Missouri. This was part of a larger series of floods affecting the entire Missouri River basin.[7]
The Great Flood of 1993 was the highest of any of the three but had the lowest rate of discharge at 541,000 cubic feet per second (15,300 m3/s). Though the 1993 flood had devastating impacts elsewhere, Kansas City survived it relatively well because of levee improvements after the 1951 flood.
