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<br />oo??,.e: <br />..~ I .j <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />SECTION III - FLOODS AND DROUGHT <br /> <br />7. <br /> <br />FLOODS <br /> <br />~. Prior to 1946. Republican River floods of record through <br />the year 1945, are discussed in the report under review. There are <br />few records of early floods in this basin. Legend recalls a flood <br />of record magnitude in 1876, and major floods occurred in 1915, <br />1923, and 1935. The latter flood had a crest discharge of 280,000 <br />second-feet at Cambridge, Nebraska, on 31 May 1935. Downstream the <br />crest flattened and the peak was 168,000 second-feet at the mouth <br />on 3 June. This flood took a toll of 105 lives and did damage <br />estimated at that time in excess of $9 million. <br /> <br />b. Flood of June 1947. Severe storms with cloudburst rain- <br />falls totaling up to an unofficial 10 inches were centered over the <br />north-central portion of the basin in June 1947. The resulting <br />runoff produced the maximum flood stages of record on Red Willow <br />and Medicine Creeks and severe flooding along the lower reaches of <br />Beaver, Sappa, and Prairie Dog Creeks. Along the main stem down- <br />stream from Cambridge, Nebraska, the flood stages were second only <br />to those of 1935. Fourteen lives were lost, 243,000 acres of land <br />and parts of 16 towns were flooded and the evaluated damage <br />approached $20 million. The toll at Cambridge (1960 population <br />1,090) included 13 lives and property damage of $738,000. Harlan <br />County Dam, under construction at the time, suffered damage of <br />$207,000. <br /> <br />~. Floods of June 1948. Widespread rains~orms over the upper <br />basin generated floods in the basins of Red Willow, Medicine Creek, <br />Beaver and Sappa Creeks and along the Republican River from the <br />vicinity of McCook, Nebraska, to the mouth. The total damage, <br />chiefly agricultural; amounted to $2,7 million on almost 100,000 <br />acres of land. <br /> <br />~. Floods in 1950. <br /> <br />(1) Flood of 9 May 1950, A flash flood on Elk Creek, <br />following a downpour reported as 7 to 10 inches within 3 hours, hit <br />Clyde, Kansas, (1960 population 971) between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. on <br />9 May 1950. About 52 city blocks were affected and municipal damage <br />was estimated at $112,600. Damage to the Elk Creek basin exceeded <br />$163,000. <br /> <br />(2) <br />Creek during <br />fall of 7 to <br /> <br />Flood of 9 July 1950. A flash flood on White Rock <br />the night of 8-9 July 1950, following a reported rain- <br />15 inches, inundated almost 20,000 acres of land and <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />9 <br />