Just before midnight on March 12; 1928; the St. Francis Dam; a twenty-story-high concrete structure just fifty miles north of Los Angeles; suddenly collapsed; releasing a devastating flood that roared fifty-four miles to the Pacific Ocean; destroying everything in its path. It was a horrific catastrophe; yet one which today is virtually forgotten. With research gathered over more than two decades; award-winning writer and filmmaker Jon Wilkman revisits the deluge that claimed nearly five hundred lives. A key figure is William Mulholland; the self-taught engineer who created an unprecedented water system; allowing Los Angeles to become America's second-largest city; and who was also responsible for the design and construction of the St. Francis Dam. Driven by eyewitness accounts and combining urban history with a life-and-death drama and a technological detective story; Floodpath grippingly reanimates the reality behind L.A. noir fictions such as the classic film Chinatown. In an era of climate change; increasing demand on water resources; and a neglected American infrastructure; the tragedy of the St. Francis Dam has never been more relevant.
#7767881 in Books 2015-01-19Original language:English 9.25 x 6.25 x 1.75l; #File Name: 1614513791617 pages
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