[1] Columbus has recorded flooding events since the area was first settled by colonists around 1797, mainly on the banks of the Scioto River.

A flood in 1898 also severely affected the area, creating a lake from the riverbank to Asylum Hill, location of the Columbus State Hospital.

The city had a cold winter, and the ground had not fully thawed, leading to a higher flood risk.

Beginning late on March 24 and spanning 24 hours, about 5 inches of rain fell in Central Ohio.

By dawn, local fire and police were rescuing residents, and the water level reached knee-level.

[3] Amid the flooding, Columbus Dispatch publisher Robert F. Wolfe saw the water rising from his office.

Over the next five days of high waters, the local government, countless volunteers, and five National Guard companies rescued people and worked to save properties.

New bridges and levees were constructed, and the Columbus Civic Center was built on the east bank of the river downtown.

In 1983, FEMA created a map designating nearly all of Franklinton as a floodplain, and thus Columbus City Council severely restricted new construction in the area.

[2] In 1986, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recommended a 3.25-mile floodwall and levee system, with an initial cost of $30.9 million.

[1] A new development on the Scioto Peninsula in Franklinton aims to install outdoor pylons with a line depicting the high water mark from the 1913 flood.