Damage from the flood of 1937 in London. Photo courtesy of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.Damage from the flood of 1937 in London. Photo courtesy of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.
London

Deadly Flood Remembered 80 Years Later

It was the largest flood ever recorded on the Thames River and 80 years later, the devastating destruction and heartbreaking loss of life from the flood of 1937 is being remembered.

On April 26 of that year, the river rose 23 ft in London, killing five people and destroying more than 1,100 homes. Damage estimates at the time were in the range of $3-million.

"It was a wet period with about five days of rain. Upwards of 7 inches or more of rain fell over that period of time. It caused the water level to begin rising rapidly throughout the watershed, causing that significant damage and loss of life," said Chris Tasker, manager of water and information management for the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA).

But from the disaster a new plan to protect life and property along the waterway was born. Residents gathered for the River Valley Development Meeting in London, and in the years that followed, their vision was the precursor to the 1946 Conservation Authority Act. One year later and ten years after the deadly flood, the UTRCA was established.

It's mandate had three simple guiding principles -- cost sharing between the province and local municipalities, conservation authority boundaries based upon geographical watersheds rather than political boundaries, and decisions made locally by a board of directors appointed by watershed municipalities.

"The flood was the driving force behind creating the UTRCA," said Tasker. "It really started us on developing flood-control infrastructure to help protect us from these types of damages."

Through the UTRCA, Fanshawe Dam, the first flood control dam in the Thames watershed, was built in 1953. To-date there are now more than 30 stream gauges in the UTRCA network for flood forecasting and warning, three major dams; Wildwood, Pittock, and Fanshawe, and a series of dikes, floodwalls, and channels.

"A number of events have happened in recent history, 1977, 2000, and 2009. There are lots of flooding events that we have encountered since 1937 that would have been a lot more severe had we not had these structural controls in place and also if we hadn't embarked upon a program to keep development away from flood prone areas," said Tasker.

More than 764 development applications were reviewed by UTRCA planners last year alone, to ensure homes aren't being build in areas susceptible to flooding.

Damage from the flood of 1937 in London. Photo courtesy of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.Damage from the flood of 1937 in London. Photo courtesy of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.

Damage from the flood of 1937 in London. Photo courtesy of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.Damage from the flood of 1937 in London. Photo courtesy of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.

Damage from the flood of 1937 in London. Photo courtesy of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.Damage from the flood of 1937 in London. Photo courtesy of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.

Damage from the flood of 1937 in London. Photo courtesy of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.Damage from the flood of 1937 in London. Photo courtesy of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.

Men work to keep the flood waters of the flood of 1937 from spreading further into London. Photo courtesy of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.Men work to keep the flood waters of the flood of 1937 from spreading further into London. Photo courtesy of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.

Damage from the flood of 1937 in London. Photo courtesy of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.Damage from the flood of 1937 in London. Photo courtesy of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.

Residents survey the damage from the flood of 1937 in London. Photo courtesy of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.Residents survey the damage from the flood of 1937 in London. Photo courtesy of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.

Damage from the flood of 1937 in London. Photo courtesy of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.Damage from the flood of 1937 in London. Photo courtesy of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.

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