A Flooded Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA, USA
Leonard Freed
Description
Subject Matter:
This photograph depicts a view down a flooded street in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The photographer points his camera down at the lightly rippling water; the tops of houses, trees, and telephone poles can be glimpsed upside down in the reflection. Though it made landfall as a tropical storm, former Hurricane Agnes became one of the most devastating natural disasters in modern U.S. history due to the floods and tornadoes it caused across much of the eastern seaboard. Wilkes-Barre was particularly affected and had to be evacuated when the Susquehanna River crested its banks, resulting in 128 deaths and billions of dollars in damage. Freed, known for images of the Civil Rights Movement, here photographs residents who have returned to the city after the storm has subsided. Freed focuses on not only the flood's devastation but also its effects on the community and on individuals.
Physical Description:
A flooded street with water all around, houses on either side.
Usage Rights:
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