In the Wake of Agnes

As the savage floodwaters summoned by tropical storm Agnes slowly subsided, the toll in lives, refugees and property damage made it clear that the storm almost certainly added up to one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history. At least 109 bodies had been found and rescue workers expected to find more in the rushing waters and mud-caked debris of southeast Florida and a five-state area (Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania) of the East. At least 387,700 persons were evacuated in Agnes' corkscrew wake. Property damage was put at upwards of $1.4 billion. A total of 131 counties and 25 cities were declared disaster areas.

Eight-Foot Wave. Hardest hit by far was Pennsylvania, where rampaging rivers slashed through dikes, destroying factories, homes, shops and theaters. In Wilkes-Barre, thousands of volunteer dike-builders worked frantically to stem the surging Susquehanna--to no avail. When the river burst the sandbagged levee, an eight-foot wave surged through Wilkes-Barre's central business district. "My God," a volunteer wept, "we just couldn't do it." Finally, the water receded, leaving a three-inch layer of sour-smelling muck on everything it touched.

Of major assistance was a makeshift radio network that stitched together the community. When Wilkes-Barre station WILK was knocked out by power failure, nearby FM station WYZZ took over round-the-clock broadcasting of emergency news, aided by WSCR of Scranton. Public service announcements alternated with appeals for news of missing persons, directions for physicians and instructions on where to send food, clothing, bedding and money for refugees. Adding to flood damage in the city was a series of fires that could be fought only by chemical-spraying helicopters: fire trucks could not reach the scene. Most buildings burned to the waterline. Perhaps the grisliest scene was at nearby Forty Fort, where flood waters churned up some 200 coffins. National Guardsmen were assigned to rebury the dead. "I can't stop vomiting," one Guardsman said. "I think I'm losing my mind." Said Pennsylvania Governor Milton Shapp: "WilkesBarre took the worst beating of any community in the state."

Help was quick to arrive. In Washington, the Office of Emergency Preparedness went into action on an unprecedented scale. "This is the biggest federal effort ever committed to a U.S. disaster," said Deputy Director Darrell Trent. At the time of the flood, OEP had only $8.5 million in hand but was due to receive $92.5 million July 1 for the coming fiscal year. Last week, President Nixon asked Congress for an additional emergency appropriation of $100 million. The Senate responded by voting $200 million, twice the amount Nixon requested. Said Trent: "We will be able to give everyone everything they're legally entitled to."

In all the battered areas, OEP is setting up "one stop" aid centers where victims will be able to get emergency loans for repairs to homes, shops and businesses. Food stamps and unemployment compensation were available to anyone put out of a job by the floods. State authorities joined the struggle to return flooded areas to normal, and there were estimates that by week's end, most public utilities would be back in operation and that water would be fit to drink. Relief supplies were arriving in such abundance that one Wilkes-Barre worker gazed at the tons of material and said: "It will take three months to sort this stuff, let alone get it to the victims." Little looting was reported--but one Pennsylvania thief fell out of his boat while looting and drowned.

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