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On June 9, 1972, one of the most devastating [|floods] in the nation's history swept through [|Rapid City, South Dakota], and nearby communities. More than 10 inches of rain fell in just over 6 hours, producing [|flooding] on Rapid Creek and several other Black Hills streams. The swollen streams rushing toward Rapid City and the failure of Canyon Lake Dam combined to send a wall of water through the community.

By daybreak on June 10, 1972, the disaster left 238 people dead and over 3000 injured. Memorial Park, a large park in the center of Rapid City with a small lake, flower gardens, fountain and a [|memorial] with names of the 238 people was created in tribute to those who perished.

[|Extraordinary weather conditions] have been blamed for the storm that sent torrents of rain over the Black Hills that night. Heavily saturated soil from previous rains and a stationary front that poured inches of rain in a few hours resulted in extreme run-off and the swollen streams. Many weather experts refer to the 1972 flood as a hundred -year flood. Evidence of other catastrophic floods in the Black Hills exists, including a [|Noah's Ark-style flood] nearly 900 years ago.

The [|damage] to Rapid City was extreme. The 1973 U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Disaster Relief estimated the cost of physical destruction in excess of $100 million and approximately 3,100 acres of land were affected by the flood water and fires from ruptured gas lines within Rapid City.

To prevent a reoccurrence of this tragedy the city of Rapid City established a “[|floodplain].” A [|beautiful greenway] and bike path now meander through the city alongside the once destructive Rapid Creek. In 2007, the city of Rapid City formed a [|Floodplain Development Policy Committee]to address citizen [|concerns]about development in the floodplain.