 The city of Johnstown, a quiet city settled in 1770, had never experienced a major disaster before. All until May 31st, 1889, when the South Folk Dam collapsed due to excessive rainfall over the past few days, and caused what has been known in American history as the Great Flood. The people of Johnstown on May 31st were unsuspecting of what was going to happen that would change their lives forever. At 3.10 p.m., the dam collapsed. The greatest wave of the flood measured as high as 40 feet and hit the town at 40 miles per hour. The flood lines were found as high as 89 feet above the river level. The damage was catastrophic. 2,209 lives were lost, even as late as 1911 bodies could still be found as far as Cincinnati. 1,600 homes were destroyed. $17 million in property damage was done. That is equivalent to $484 million in 2019 dollars. Naturally, the people looked for someone to blame. The majority looked at Andrew Carnegie and Henry Fick. Why? Well, they and many other wealthy businessmen were a part of the South Folk Fishing and Hunting Club. The club had ownership and therefore was responsible for the maintenance of the dam, and their lack of was held responsible for the disaster. But the courts had decided that the flood was an act of God rather than holding anyone responsible. No compensation was given to any of the victims. But all hope was not lost. On June 5th, 1889, the American Red Cross led by Clara Barton arrived to Johnstown to help the victims. In addition, $3,742,818.78 was collected from the United States and from 19 other countries, and they were able to rebuild.