Man Against the River (1937)

★★★★ · The Dirty Thirties · Christine Hennig · 2006-06-27

This 30s film documents the severe floods in Ohio, Kentucky, and Arkansas when the Ohio river overflowed its banks, and the efforts of WPA workers to provide disaster relief. The task was a huge one, involving rescuing people trapped by the flood waters, setting up emergency hospitals to care for the sick and wounded, inoculating people against typhoid, distributing food, setting up refugee camps for the homeless, piling sandbags and building levees in places where the river had not yet overflowed, fighting fires and removing dangers to public safety, and engaging in cleanup efforts after the…

★★★★ · The River Runs through the town (literally) · Spuzz · 2003-11-02

Very interesting time capsule of how the WPA went into the action after a massive flood hit the Ohio river. Scenes of total devastation are shown, Homes totally flooded, only way to get by are boats, leave your pets and livestock behind etc. Sort of interesting to see the women with their Fur Coats and hats on, as if the flood was the social event of the season. As mentioned, the film then focuses on the work of the WPA, damming up rivers, building sidewalks, and generally cleaning up. Although we are much better off timewise now in dealing with disasters like this, it's sure fascinating to…