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Aftermath : Throughline In 1927, the most destructive river flood in U.S. history inundated seven states, displaced more than half a million people for months, and caused about $1 billion dollars in property damages. And like many national emergencies it exposed a stark question that the country still struggles to answer - what is the political calculus used to decide who bears the ultimate responsibility in a crisis, especially when it comes to the most vulnerable? This week, the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and what came after.

Throughline

Aftermath

Aftermath

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  • Aerial view of one of the burst dikes on the Mississippi River, April 1927.
    Aerial view of one of the burst dikes on the Mississippi River, April 1927.
    ullstein bild Dtl./ullstein bild via Getty Images
  • Republican Presidential candidate Herbert Hoover at his desk in his Washington headquarters, 1928. Hoover was credited with directing flood relief operations as Secretary of Commerce under President Calvin Coolidge.
    Republican Presidential candidate Herbert Hoover at his desk in his Washington headquarters, 1928. Hoover was credited with directing flood relief operations as Secretary of Commerce under President Calvin Coolidge.
    AP
  • Refugee camp set up in Greenville, MS during the 1927 Mississippi floods.
    Refugee camp set up in Greenville, MS during the 1927 Mississippi floods.
    John Graudenz/ullstein bild /ullstein bild via Getty Images
  • African-American educator and author Robert Russa Moton, 1935.
    African-American educator and author Robert Russa Moton, 1935.
    Afro Newspaper/Gado/Getty Images
  • Children stand by tents at a camp the Red Cross built for Mississippi River flood victims.
    Children stand by tents at a camp the Red Cross built for Mississippi River flood victims.
    Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images

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In 1927, the most destructive river flood in U.S. history inundated seven states, displaced more than half a million people for months, and caused about $1 billion dollars in property damages. And like many national emergencies it exposed a stark question that the country still struggles to answer - what is the political calculus used to decide who bears the ultimate responsibility in a crisis, especially when it comes to the most vulnerable? This week, the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and what came after.

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Correction April 23, 2020

A previous version of this episode described Will Rogers as a musician. He was so much more. He's now just described as "famous".