“As this is written, most ominous reports come from the Mississippi Valley.”—April 21, 1927
Those are the first words of significance that appeared in Engineering News-Record as one of the great disasters of U.S. history unfolded. Before it was over, broad swathes of the Mississippi River valley, including millions of acres of farmland and two parishes of New Orleans, were devastated. Hunger and sickness were widespread. Eventually, resentment surrounding the catastrophe would help propel Herbert Hoover into the White House.