Date of Award
6-2010
Document Type
Union College Only
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
History
First Advisor
Andrew Morris
Language
English
Keywords
new, storm, government, effort, england
Abstract
This thesis intends to prove that the 1938 hurricane that hit Long Island and New England brought about a new era of disaster relief in American history due to the expanded role of the federal government in the rebuilding effort that followed the storm. The New Deal and its agencies were the vehicles primarily used by the federal government to fulfill this expanded role. The federal government allocated a large amount of the resources and manpower at their disposal in these New Deal agencies to the relief and rebuilding effort that followed the storm. The two New Deal agencies that had the biggest impact on the rebuilding effort were: The Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). While the federal government spearheaded the relief and rebuilding effort that followed the 1938 hurricane, it was essential that they cooperate with other groups such as the Red Cross, private businesses, as well as state and local governments. The 1938 hurricane hit Long Island and New England on September 21st, 1938 and by the time the winter of 1938 was coming about, many residents of the affected area were looking forward to a normal winter. The cooperation between the federal government and these other groups was essential to making the rebuilding effort a success and having the citizens of Long Island and New England getting their lives back to normal quickly after the storm. This thesis is going to look at both the impact and severity of the storm and the rebuilding effort that followed the storm in three parts. The first section deals with Long Island, the second section looks at coastal New England, and the third and final section has to do with inland New England. All three of these different areas of the northeast United States had to deal with different challenges following the storm, they also faced a few of the same challenges following the storm such as flood control. The 1938 hurricane that hit Long Island and New England served along with the New Deal and its agencies as catalysts that combined to expand the federal government’s role in disaster relief, thus changing the landscape of disaster relief in the future in the United States.
Recommended Citation
Cohn, Connor A., "An introduction to the Hurricane of '38" and its impact on disaster relief policy in the United States" (2010). Honors Theses. 1113.
https://digitalworks.union.edu/theses/1113