Skip to main content

Image / Flood victims trudge back to devastation

Have a question about this item?

Item information. View source record on contributor's website.

Title
Flood victims trudge back to devastation
Alternative Title
Valley Times Photo Collection
Creator
Robbins, Jeff
Contributor
This project was supported in whole or in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian
Made accessible through a grant from the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation and Photo Friends
Date Created and/or Issued
1963
Contributing Institution
Los Angeles Public Library
Collection
Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection
Rights Information
Images available for reproduction and use. Please see the Ordering & Use page at http://tessa.lapl.org/OrderingUse.html for additional information.
Description
Photograph was edited for publication purposes
On December 14, 1963, the dam collapsed, spilling 300 million gallons of water into the hillsides that swept away houses and cars and left three dead. Most of Baldwin Village, including the historic Village Green community, was flooded as well. The crack in the dam was ultimately attributed to subsidence caused by overexploitation of the Inglewood oil field. The disaster caused the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power to phase out small local reservoirs, opting instead to store water in groundwater basins and behind the Hansen Dam in Lake View Terrace.
Photograph caption dated December 16, 1963 reads, "Valley Times reporter helps - Dick Houdek, Valley Times reporter, was surveying the damage at the Village Green apartment house in Baldwin Hills when he heard the pleas of 82-year-old resident George Oren, who collapsed in mud while attempting to leave the area. Another resident, James Hanks, helps assist Oren to safety."; See images #00117247 through #00117253 for all photos in this series.
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;19 x 14 cm.
Photographic prints
Identifier
00117252
Valley Times Collection
HCNVT_d019_f25_i19; H-6790.35 4x5
CARL0005344919
http://173.196.26.125/cdm/ref/collection/photos/id/50974
Subject
Houdek, Dick
Valley Times (Firm)--Employees
Village Green (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Dam failures--California--Baldwin Hills (Los Angeles)
Floods--California--Baldwin Hills (Los Angeles)
Dams--California--Baldwin Hills (Los Angeles)
Disasters--California--Baldwin Hills (Los Angeles)
Dwellings--California--Baldwin Hills (Los Angeles)
Men--California--Los Angeles
Rubble
National Historic Landmarks
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments
Baldwin Hills (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Baldwin Hills Reservoir (Calif.)
Baldwin Hills Dam (Calif.)
Valley Times Collection photographs
Portrait photographs
Group portraits

About the collections in Calisphere

Learn more about the collections in Calisphere. View our statement on digital primary resources.

Copyright, permissions, and use

If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.

Share your story

Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.

Explore related content on Calisphere: