This week I researched
different types of imagery that helped show the different impacts of the flood
in 1938 throughout southern California. In the prior weeks I had already found
a few photos, but this week I noticed that aerial photography helps show more
of the magnitude of the flood. In figure 1 the entire plain is flooded and this
aerial photograph displays how destructive flooding was without proper flood
control.
The next image I found was the map
within figure 2 that shows improvements to flood control before the Flood of
1938. This map helps to explain how in some of my other sources areas of Los
Angeles were not affected as badly as other areas such as Anaheim. The map also
shows while it seems the city was prepared for a flood, the flood control implemented
was still not enough to prevent the devastation. After the flood, more data was
collected throughout southern California that eventually helped engineers
understand where to focus their efforts for future flood control projects.
Data from the flood shows the statistical
data from the flood and how various areas were affected. Figure 3 shows two
different types of locations how much rain they received over a 5-day span. Within
this source it is evident that a majority of the rain was directed toward
higher elevations while the cities within the valleys received a smaller
amount. This data connects back to the map above because this it shows what areas
needed the most flood control support. Areas only within the main valleys received
the most flood control at the time when they didn’t receive as much precipitation.
My next source is a collection of
data that is shown in figure 4. This data displays dozens of counties and the
amount of precipitation they received according to their location. This data is
useful because it provides precipitation data in February to help show how
large of an influx of rain California received in such a short time period. All
of these sources I found help me draw connections between the scale of the
flood and also the amount of flood control within respective areas. I believe that
before the flood the flood control engineers did not have a full understanding
of the floodplains within Southern California. The map above shows they may
have thought that would have been enough, but the flood of 1938 data showed the
flaws within the southern California flood control system.
Figure 1:Aerial view of flooded plains. Anaheim California, 1938. Contributed
by Paul Prejza
Figure 2:Map
of types of channel improvements prior to 1938 flood, LA river. United States
Army Corps of Engineers
Figure 3:Troxell, Harold C., and and Others.
“Floods of March 1938 in Southern California.” Water Supply Paper. Government
Printing Office, 1942. https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/wsp844.
Figure 4: Daingerfield, Lawrence H. “SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA RAIN AND FLOOD, FEBRUARY 27 TO MARCH 4, 1938.” Monthly Weather
Review 66, no. 5 (May 1, 1938): 139–43.
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0493(1938)66<139:SCRAFF>2.0.CO;2.
Hi Andrew! To start, this project looks like it is progressing really well. These pictures encompass your argument and subject matter very clearly and I like how you included many different forms of imagery. The first image is very helpful as the aerial view showcases the area affected by the flood. For the second photograph, I like how it focuses more on which areas were more affected than others. The third photograph is helpful for your project because it shows the statistics of the flood and involves a more analytical perspective for your project. Finally, the last photograph is great because it is a wide variety of data analysis. If I were to give feedback, maybe include images of the people affected by the flood. Your images are great for showcases the environmental aspect of your project. This being said, including images of people involved would add a humanistic feel to your project and improve the historic perspective. Great job overall!!
ReplyDeleteHello Andrew! I find your images very interesting and your project seems to be going well. I find the use of data charts to be a very analytical approach which will definitely help you construct a very sound argument about the flood control or lack there of in LA. I also believe the chart showing how flood control improvements saved parts of the city to be highly interesting. The chart itself is very compelling and feels like each line has a different story to tell. Good luck on the project i have faith it will turn out really good.
ReplyDeleteHi Andrew, I like how you are using charts filled with data as images for your research blog. Those are helpful in knowing how much rainfall certain locations receive. Also I think you are right, aerial photography shows how vast the flood really was.
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