In June 1972, Hurricane Agnes ravaged the mid-Atlantic region. At the time, it was the most destructive tropical cyclone in American history. Rainfall from Agnes caused catastrophic inland flooding, with an immense geographic scale. Agnes caused the loss of 128 lives and more than $3.1 billion in damages (in 1972 dollars).
To commemorate this event, the Silver Jackets teams of Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, collaborated on an outreach campaign to encourage everyone to learn more about their flood risk and take actions to be prepared. Even decades later, the stories of Agnes still resonate and can help us be better prepared for the threats of the future. With climate change, extreme rainfall and flooding events are becoming more common, and lessons learned after storms like Agnes are even more valuable.
The outreach campaign included an interactive and comprehensive website, outreach events and a social media campaign. The website contains visually compelling details and personal accounts about the direct impacts of Hurricane Agnes by state, information about how flood forecasting, warning and emergency response has evolved in the past 50 years, flood risk management efforts, and actions people can take to be prepared for hurricanes and flooding.
Presenters:
- Stacey Underwood, US Army Corps of Engineers - US Army Corps of Engineers – Baltimore District
- Rob Shedd, NWS, Mid-Atlantic River Forecast Center
- Maggie Dunn, FEMA 3 Outreach Coordinator
Link to Materials and Other Resources:
Date: September 28, 2022