This month marks anniversary of 1937 Southern Ohio Floods

Cincinnati - It will be 74 years since the greatest flood in Southern Ohio history.

The last two weeks of January in 1937 set the record for Ohio River crests and made that month the wettest month ever recorded in Ohio.

The 1937 flood started with almost one foot of rain in one week and in Portsmouth, the river water rose over the flood stage.

Those flood waters drove more than 100,000 local people from their homes and left nearly everyone looking for a place to stay.

It was unlike anything this region had seen before. River waters in Cincinnati hit a record level of 79.9 feet. The Mill Creek caught fire and it was the worst flood in Cincinnati history.

Seven decades ago there were very few flood control reservoirs and levees in place which caused the extensive damage.

Now even if the exact same flooding conditions occured, damage should be less severe because billions of dollars have been spent on flood control along the entire length of the river.

However, experts say the odds of a flood of that measure to happen again are slim, but nevertheless officials are well prepared.

Stay with 9 News and Wcpo.com for stories throughout the week remembering the 1937 floods and how many families and businesses were affected.