Mill River (Northampton, Massachusetts)

[4] The flood was widely covered in newspapers across the United States, garnering front-page coverage as far away as San Francisco.

[6]: 2  In New England, the ground was still blanketed from the previous snowfall, and the warmer weather and heavy downpours melted the snow, significantly increasing the volume of floodwaters.

The first occurred when the Vernon Dam in Vermont gave out, sending an "enormous wall of water" downstream, and prompting the evacuation of Sunderland, Massachusetts.

[10] On March 19, 1936, the Daily Hampshire Gazette reported that "Northampton and environs faced the second serious flood within a week as heavy rains began today to swell the Connecticut river and its tributaries to menacing proportions.

[13] Impacts on public utilities and transportation raised concerns about water-borne diseases and other sanitation issues,[14][15][16] as well as potential supply shortages.

In response, Mayor Dunn deputized 50 citizens to protect houses in the Maple and Pleasant Street sections of town.

[9][20] At the national level, President Roosevelt mobilized federal agencies and the American Red Cross to provide immediate aid to impacted areas.

According to historian Joseph L. Arnold, "In Massachusetts, where scores of large cities and small towns were pounded by water and huge chunks of ice, 56,000 people sought Red Cross aid.

[9] Along with the Red Cross of Hampshire, the American Legion and numerous other organizations and private individuals extended aid to people left homeless by the flood.