50th YEAR COMMEMORATION OF THE BALDWIN HILLS RESERVOIR FAILURE
50th YEAR COMMEMORATION OF THE
BALDWIN HILLS RESERVOIR FAILURE
&
CELEBRATION OF MAGNIFICENT PARKLANDS
AT KENNETH HAHN STATE RECREATION AREA
What: Gathering to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a milestone event that forever changed Baldwin Hills, and led a community to turn tragedy into triumph. Without warning on Dec. 14, 1963, nearly 290 million gallons of water began to flow from the collapsing Baldwin Hills Reservoir. The tragic result: massive flooding that cost five lives and impacted more than 9,000 homes, as water, mud and debris spread over one square mile.
Exactly a half-century later — in the very place where the reservoir once stood –survivors, elected leaders, community organizations and representatives of first-responder agencies will gather to remember this landmark event, and celebrate how the Baldwin Hills community rallied back with the creation of what is now Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area. Today, the county-operated park stands as an urban oasis and a lasting symbol of community pride and cohesion that welcomes tens of thousands of visitors each year from throughout the region.
Who: Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chairman Mark Ridley-Thomas; Department of Parks and Recreation Chief Deputy Director John Wicker; the Baldwin Hills Conservancy; Mujeres de la Tierra; and many others.
When: Saturday, December 14, 2013 | 12:00 noon until 4:00 p.m.
Where: Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area
4100 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90056
Visuals: Interaction with survivors of the reservoir collapse; multiple displays detailing the history of the tragedy and its triumphant aftermath; storytelling sessions; live entertainment; recognition ceremony; and a moment of silence at 3:38 p.m. – the precise time of the reservoir collapse – to remember those who died in the flooding.
Contact: Joyce Fitzpatrick, Public Information Assistant (626) 934-3860
Andre Herndon, Public Information Officer (213) 738-2963
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One Response to 50th YEAR COMMEMORATION OF THE BALDWIN HILLS RESERVOIR FAILURE
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A childhood friend sent me this. I was six years old, we live on Punta Alta and were evacuated. We lived right next to the dam, as we called it. We used to go visit the water and power caretaker there, he was really nice to us kids. When I turned 5 he brought me and my brother down beneath the dam, down a long tunnel! It was so great! We spent a lot of time running to visit that caretaker!
After the dam broke, it became overgrown with bushes. We were like country kids, we’d sneak down there and have a blast! We used to run all over those hills. That was before crime went up and they started putting up all those gates. That used to be a really safe neighborhood where kids could run free and parents trusted the caretaker of the reservoir. I remember, it burst right after the Kennedy assassination. that was quite a year for us kids.