Baldwin Hills Dam disaster, Los Angeles

The Baldwin Hills Dam disaster occurred on December 14, 1963, in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood of South Los Angeles, when the dam containing the Baldwin Hills Reservoir suffered a catastrophic failure and flooded the residential neighborhoods surrounding it. It began with signs of lining failure, followed by increasingly serious leakage through the dam at its east abutment. After three hours, the dam breached, with a total release of 250 million US gallons, resulting in five deaths and the destruction of 277 homes. Vigorous rescue efforts averted a greater loss of life. ()