Photgraphs of the Bide A Wee neighborhood during the 1959 flood. Rains of 3 to 6 inches fell on snow covered frozen ground, producing the most destructive flooding in Ohio since March 1913. All streams reached flood stage from January 21 to 24. A band of heavy rain fell across central Ohio on the headwaters of many of the state’s largest rivers, causing the snow to melt and, with frozen ground, nearly all of the water poured into streams. The Alum Creek flood was said to have been the first in memory, due to heavier rainfall in the creek's watershed than elsewhere. The Alum Creek flood waters extended from the Alum Creek bridge on Main Street west to Fairwood Avenue. Residents of Hanford Village were asked to evacuate. On many streams, the flood levels of January 1959 were the highest since March 1913 and the second or third highest on record. Columbus was the most severely affected of Ohio’s major cities, with many streets flooded, 100 homes badly damaged, and 3200 evacuees cared for at Red Cross shelters. Deaths and damage were much less than in the March 1913 flood because the January 1959 flood was less intense, flood-control reservoirs were built after 1913, and there was better communication of warnings, organized rescue work, and more adequate design of bridges and other structures.