logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2024
35m 8s

Johnstown Flood | Prepare for the Worst ...

Wondery
About this episode
National Park Ranger Doug Bosley’s existence hinges on a few dangerous seconds in the life of his great-great grandfather, William Pickerill. On May 31, 1889, Pickerill worked as a telegraph operator down the valley from Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Before it was washed away by the flood, his telegraph office relayed warnings about the impending collapse of the ... Show More
Up next
Mar 2024
Buried Alive | Taken | 1
It’s December, 1968, and 20-year-old Emory University student Barbara Mackle is taken at gunpoint from the Atlanta motel room she’s sharing with her mother. Her two kidnappers drug her and then drive her to a remote spot in the woods outside the city. Their plan? To bury her aliv ... Show More
41m 41s
Mar 2024
Buried Alive | The Box | 2
Drugged and sick with flu, Barbara Mackle begs her kidnappers not to bury her underground. But soon she’s sealed inside a cramped wooden box, and can hear dirt being shoveled onto the lid. Meanwhile, a mysterious caller to her family’s home outside Miami directs them to a note bu ... Show More
42m 43s
Mar 2024
Buried Alive | The Drop | 3
Barbara’s father, Robert Mackle, has gathered $500,000 in 20-dollar bills into a suitcase. Then, following the kidnappers’ instructions, he goes by himself to the drop site – an abandoned causeway in Miami. But when he gets lost on the way to the site, he begins to worry that the ... Show More
44m 18s
Recommended Episodes
May 2020
A Gilded Age Apocalypse
May 31, 1889. It’s raining in Johnstown, PA, causing some small flooding. But the townsfolk were used to it – this city of 30,000 was nestled in a valley between two rivers. What happened next was something every person in Johnstown feared, but hoped would never come true. The ol ... Show More
24m 3s
Jul 2025
The Great Flood of 1889: Johnstown Flood National Memorial
Editors Note and Content Warning: This episode was recorded in June before the devastating floods that took place in Texas on July 4th. Listeners should be aware that this episode includes descriptions of mass death, including children. Please take care while listening. Our heart ... Show More
1h 5m
Dec 2012
The Johnstown Flood
<p>On May 31, 1889, the South Fork dam gave way, sending 20 million tons of water rushing toward Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The water swept up everything in its path, and it only took about 10 minutes to wash away Johnstown. But was nature solely to blame?</p><p> </p> Learn more ab ... Show More
21m 3s
Apr 2019
Charlie Cusack Pt. 1: Tornado Warning
On May 3rd, 1999, the people of southern Oklahoma County would brace themselves and pray, as they were about to have to try and survive the onslaught of the most powerful tornado in recorded history. Sponsors! Daily Harvest - Go to Daily-Harvest.com and enter promo code SURVIVAL ... Show More
43m 20s
Sep 2021
#312 - Surviving The Great Flood
Joe talks about how he was effected by the horrible New York flooding recently. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 
1h 9m
Apr 2022
Listener Mail: Eastman Explosions in Tennessee, The Dangers of Being Prepared, Hank's Episode Ideas
<p>A recent mishap in Kingsport, Tennessee highlights a long history of brushes with industrial disaster. Riding around with a gas mask in Idaho just might land you a long interview with the FBI. Hank calls in with some fantastic show ideas. All this and more in this week's liste ... Show More
55m 49s
Sep 2022
Kentucky flooding
Historic levels of flooding in eastern Kentucky in August caused 37 deaths. The State’s governor described it as the worst natural crisis Kentucky has seen. River levels on the North Fork Kentucky River in Whitesburg reached 21ft (6.4m) compared with the previous record of 14ft ( ... Show More
38m 8s
Nov 2021
The Ahr Valley flood
The worst effects of climate change are often framed as a problem for the future. But for some, the worst has already happened. As world leaders gather in Glasgow to talk about how to bring down emissions, Assignment tells the story of three places which have been at the sharp en ... Show More
27m 2s