A Million People Homeless

Still trying to get my head around that one, let alone the fact that an entire city just basically sank.

I’m reminded of a local city of mine that did a similiar disappearing act. They didn’t recover. Try finding Vanport, Oregon today:

Vanport, the 2nd largest city in Oregon and the largest public housing project in the nation was flooded when a dike holding back the Columbia River gave way at 4:05 p.m. on May 30, 1948. Vanport, 15-feet below Columbia’s water level, was completely underwater by nightfall. Fifteen people died in the flood. Houses were washed off of their foundations and the entire town was lost.

Vanport, a combined name of the nearby cities — Vancouver and Portland — has been erased off maps and all visible traces of the city have disappeared.

Just like that.

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