Hurricane Diane hit the Lehigh Valley in August of 1955. Living in Little Lehigh Manor, I remember huddling in the house, while the metal garbage cans of the era flew around the neighborhood. My father, whose meat market was on Union Street by the Lehigh River, worked throughout the night. Fortunately for him, his market had an second floor backup cooler, and a small freight elevator. While the retail business district on Hamilton Street is elevated enough to be unaffected from flooding, center city Easton was devastated by the Delaware. The next morning was rather surreal for a nine year old boy. A large willow tree on the corner of Lehigh Parkway South and Catalina Ave. was lying on its side. Although the Little Lehigh receded quickly, the park road and basin had been flooded. Diane remains a record in flooding and damage. Let us hope it remains that way.
photo from August 1955. Lehigh River rising by former A&B Meats. The row of houses shown were demolished to make way for a new bridge approach several years later.
reprinted from August of 2011
Hurricane Diane and its impact on Bethlehem Steel, considered a defense plant, is why the flood control project on the south side of the Lehigh river was built in the early 1960's by the Army Corps of Engineers. The sloped stone, called riprap and the pump houses are part of the project. My father was head engineer/project manager. On occasion, he would take me to work with him on days off from school. He also did Beltzville Dam and Francis E. Walter Dam. All part of the flood control of the headwaters of the Lehigh River. It showed its worth during Hurricane Agnes in 1972 .
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