Wildfires above the Crescenta Valley in November 1933 and subsequent heavy rain in December 1933 produced the perfect conditions for a massive flood. Just after midnight on January 1, 1934, millions of tons of mud and debris traveled from the mountains down to the Verdugo Wash, killing many people and destroying about 400 homes in the communities of La Can~ada, La Crescenta, Montrose and Tujunga. Woody Guthrie's song, "Los Angeles New Year's Flood," commemorates the natural disaster. Mrs. Clara McIntyre visits her floodswept home at 2518 Altura Street in Montrose, and sadly surveys the wreckage. Mrs. McIntyre, her husband, a daughter, and the two dogs escaped from the New Year's flood, but their home was made a shambles by the surging 10-foot wall of water and mud.
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