A population and economic comparison of Story County, Iowa following the great flood of 1993 to Cambria County, Pennsylvania following the 1977 Johnstown flood

Abstract

Purpose

This article seeks to compare the effects of the 1977 Johnstown Flood on Cambria County, Pennsylvania with the effects of the Great Flood of 1993 on Story County, Iowa. The article aims to specifically compare and contrast the effects of the floods on population, per capita income, employment, education, and poverty rate.

Design/methodology/approach

Statistics ranging from 1970 to 2003 were used to create an economic and population overview of Story County, Iowa and Cambria County, Pennsylvania. Short‐term and long‐term effects from the floods are compared and contrasted to reveal possible trends in population and economics.

Findings

The data show that Story County IA gained population and college graduates following the Great Flood of 1993. Conversely, Cambria County, PA lost population following the 1977 Johnstown Flood. This suggests that Story County may not have lost employers and may have gained employers due to the flood.

Originality/value

These data support previous research by Spencer and Myer that suggests that following a major flood, that leads to closing of major employers, there may be losses in overall population and long‐term economic difficulty.

Citation

Spencer, J. and Myer, R.A. (2007), "A population and economic comparison of Story County, Iowa following the great flood of 1993 to Cambria County, Pennsylvania following the 1977 Johnstown flood", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 16 No. 1, pp. 15-20. https://doi.org/10.1108/09653560710729776