“The Worst Flood in History”
The stage is underwater at Monongahela’s Aquatorium on June 24, 1972. In the background is the Monongahela Bridge, which was imploded in the fall of 1987.
Lenzi’s Italian Restaurant, located on Gee Street in Monongahela and near the banks of Pigeon Creek, also pictured on June 24, 1972.
In June 1972, Hurricane Agnes caused what was called – at the time – the “Worst Flood In History,” in a front page, above the fold story in the June 24, 1972, issue of the Observer-Reporter (the photo accompanying the story was a shot of the Governor’s mansion in Harrisburg half under water). A separate story reported that Lock. No. 4 in Charleroi rose at “a rate of .8 feet per hour” and that the river was expected to crest at 33 feet, which was seven feet above flood level. A number of streets were shut down due to flooding, including “back roads from Roscoe to California and Brownsville.”
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimated the damage to be $45 million. A story in the June 26, 1972, Observer-Reporter noted that along the Monongahela River, “damage seemed relatively light” compared to that of the Ohio and Allegheny rivers.