Salamanca, New York – June 23, 1972 – While not as devastating a flood as others, the June 1972 flood of the Allegheny River caused millions in damage and destroyed or damaged 100 homes in Salamanca, New York. Hurricane Agnes started as a Tropical Storm off the Yucatan Peninsula. Five days later it became a hurricane. On June 21st Agnes made landfall in New York and central Pennsylvania. The next few days brought 18 inches of rain. At times, the river rose as much as 7 inches per hour. The waters made their way into the towns of Olean and Salamanca. The city of Salamanca suffered no casualties, but damage was in the millions.
The most significant destruction from Hurricane Agnes occurred in areas of New Jersey and Pennsylvania where over 40,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed. The Susquehanna and Lackawanna River flooded, bringing major damage to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Overall, Agnes caused 128 fatalities along the East Coast and nearly $3 billion in damage.