In June 1972, Hurricane Agnes hit the East Coast with a monstrous and devastating force, bringing a deluge across multiple states and slamming four counties in the Southern Tier: Steuben, Chemung, Tioga, and Broome. Dozens died and property damage ran into the millions as Corning, Elmira, Owego, Binghamton, and other communities suddenly found themselves under water. The flood destroyed the Erie Lackawanna Railroad, staggered the Penn Central, shut down Corning Glass Works for weeks, and devastated the Corning Museum of Glass--a major cultural resource. Lives and landscapes were forever changed when homes and businesses washed away in a matter of minutes. Henceforth, the region's history became permanently divided into the times before and the times after the 1972 flood. Through stunning images, The 1972 Flood in New York's Southern Tier chronicles the extraordinary destruction of twisted rail lines, devastated streets, exhausted recovery workers, rivers bursting their banks, cars on houses, and houses on cars­, all while capturing the communities' rebuilding efforts and recovery of the glass museum treasures.

Rapid City, South Dakota, June 9, 1972... 238 people died, 5 are still missing. In the midst of one of the worst floods in the history of the US, one young woman clung to the roof of a house. Merlyn Magner survived, but she lost her brother, mother, and father. Questions coursed through her mind then and for much of the rest of her life: Why did this happen? Why did my family die? Why did I survive? Rescued from that rooftop, Merlyn set out to find the answers to these questions.