Evening star., 1944-08-03
Rainfall Floods
Hundreds Of
District Homes
Firemen Pumping
CeIIors; Downpour
Worst in 2 Years

Firemen and sewer department
employees today continued pump.
Ing water out Of hundreds Of base.
ments Hooded by yesterdays al.
day torrential downpour, the l1eayi.
est IN two years, which forced
approximately $50 persons from
their homes, disrupted trafac ant
marooned thousands In homes, ON.
ces and stores.
The 5.32-inch rainfall started q,
$40 am. yesterday, and except fo1
Z brief period last night when tn,
dovnpour stopped, continued unti
6:02 am. today. The Weather Bu.
reau said today would be hot ant
humid with no more rain.
Hardest hit by the rain were tn,
$50 persons evacuated from tn,
Jubal Early Federal housing de-
velopment In Arlington. where watel
stood from 4 to 3 feet deep. Tn,
project, transformed into q lake
was accessible in areas only by boat
Troops Guard Homes.
Evacuees were taken to Calyary
Methodist Church and the JefYer.
son firehouse as troops from Fort
Belvoir arrived on the scene to offel
assistance. Food was served tt
the temporary homeless by Rec
Cross canteen units In the develop.
ment's community house. Last
nightly 1000 persons milled about
the flooded area, helping the fami.
lies remove their furniture to dry
ground.
DR.. Ralph q. Beachley. Arlington
County health oficer, said that vol.
untary typhoid shots would be giver
to the Jubal Early project evacuees
A STAN of 30 men started work today
disinfecting the flooded homes as {
preventive measure against typhoic
and malaria.
Meanwhile, Arlington Count,
Manager Frank Hanrahan blamec
National Housing Agency ofncialI
for the flooded conditions.
II told the MIA authorities or
several occasions that the site ha<
insufficient drainage" Mr.. Hanra.
han declared. IF the drainage sys.
tenn had been completed this nevel
would have occurred"
Thirty y-five families on Valley
street Sc, near Anacostia High
School, were removed to the school
while others were rescued from
flooded houses in the $500 block oa
Croffut place Sc.
Streets here were converted into
miniature canals by the drivins
rain. Government employees, many
Of them removing their shoes
sloshed through 2 feet OF water al
Constitution avenue and -Four.
teenth street NV.
TrafElc Paralysed.
At many intersections Constitution
avenue looked like q roaring stream
during the downpour. The avenue
was practically deserted Of automo-
biies. except for taxicabs jammec
by stranded persons going home.
Elsewhere throughout the cit,
bus and streetcar traffic was fire.
quently tied up with passengers il
many cases forced to wade in foot
deep water as they left the vehicles
Metropolitan police reported tina,
the hardest-hit sections were the
low-lying area around Gallingel
Hospital on the Anacostia River, the
municipal fish wharf where storm
sewer top was washed of as the
water in it backed up, and the
blocks in Half street S.W., between
TOO and 1000.
During the height OF the storm
Commissioner John Russell Youn,
prepared to mobilize, If necessary
the city's forces against the Potoma.
River which rose throughout tn,
day. Highest river stage YESTERDAY
was recorded as So feet above Low
tide mark at pm. The flood stage
is Z feet. The highest recent waite,
mark was 17.5-foot level on Octo.
Der II. 1912.
Firemen Get Many Calls.
Throughout the night weary fire.
men answered emergency calls from
householders whose Easements hae
been flooded. BY 9 am. today 20,
complaints had been answered.
In nearby Maryland, for the frs
time In ~ years, traflic was no,
stopped by heavy foods along tn,
Baltimore boulevard at Peace Cross
Bladensburg. Perce, Wolfe, Primo,
Georges County supervisor of tn,
Maryland-National Capital Parl
and Planning Commission, attrib.
uted this to the filling in of low.
lands IN the area with dirt dredRet
from East Branch. This work ha,
been iE progress under his direc.
ton for the last two months.
Several cars in Silver Spring wer.
damaged when q brick wall at thu
Wolfe Motor Co. on East-Wes,
highway was loosened by the rair
and caved In, police reported.
The storm was described by the
Weather Bureau as what was left,
OF a tropical storm of hurricane
proportions which swept inland
from the coast of North Carolina
Both the Weather Bureau and tht
Agriculture Department said the
ram would prove very beneficial
to thirsty crops in nearby Virgins
and Maryland.
The storm moved today into East
ern New York and Lower New Eng
land. sections still needing moisture
ana forecasters expressed hope tina
the rain there would be sumcient t,
relieve conditions.
Farm officials said the Easter,
rain arrived in time to save impor
tant truck crops and corn from seri
Gus damage. Yields, however. ar,
not expected to be as high as ii raj,
had fallen q week earlier.
Virginia Sets Record
In War Financing
BY the Associated Press.