In a community 60 miles east of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the disaster has come to be known as the Great Flood of 1889. What began on May 31st of that year ultimately claimed more than 2,200 lives in the western part of the state. The deadliest dam burst in US history followed several days of heavy rainfall, as more than 20 million tons of water rushed uncontrollably into the heavily populated valley. Johnstown, in Cambria County, had the misfortune to be just 14 miles downstream from the dam.
It had 30,000 residents, many of whom were crushed by the sudden, unexpected rush of flood waters.
This is history that is personal to many in the region and amateur radio operators are no exception. They will be on the air starting on Saturday the 24th of May through to the 6th of June, operating from the Johnstown Pennsylvania Flood Museum calling CQ. They are using the callsign N3N and will be on HF and 2 meters. The special event is taking place in cooperation with the Cambria County Pennsylvania Emergency Services and Skywarn Storm Spotters of Western Pennsylvania. Emergency responders know well: Tragic flooding revisited the region again in 1936 and 1977 but neither of those floods compared to this one, which is considered the kind of storm that happens once every 1,000 years.