A storm and flood of the magnitude that visited New England in November, 1927, is capable of nullifying the usefulness of most of the facilities and conveniences upon which modern civilized life depends. Damage to bridges and roadbeds of railroads and highways stops transportation and communication. Industries in towns and cities are affected by lack of transportation of materials and products or by actual flooding of plants, and agricultural lands are destroyed by erosion or rendered useless by deposition of sand and gravel. Public utilities furnishing gas, electric, telephone, telegraph, and street railway service are handicapped, if not stopped entirely; and public health is threatened by the flooding or destruction of water supply and sewerage systems. 

    An attempt was made to summarize property losses and damages caused by the flood of November, 1927, for the whole of New England, but it was found that, except in the State of Vermont, no organization had been given authority and funds to gather the data for a comprehensive survey. 

    In Vermont estimates of the losses and damages of various kinds were made by the Vermont Flood Survey, of which Robert M. Ross, Commissioner of Forestry, was chairman. The highway departments of all the states but Connecticut prepared estimates of losses and damages to highways and highway bridges, and the New England Flood Committee of the American Railway Engineering Association, W. J. Backes, chief engineer, Boston & Maine Railroad, chairman, has compiled data of the railroad losses and damages for the railroads in New England, though it was impracticable to segregate the data by States. 

    The Vermont report makes it appear that in a flood of such severity the financial losses in highways, railroads, industries, and municipalities are about equal, each being roughly 23 per cent of the total. Early reports overlooked the heavy losses to industries and municipalities. Accurate estimates of flood losses are, at best, difficult to obtain, but the estimates given are believed to be reliable as far as they go, and they should be of considerable value in showing the vast amount of money lost because of a single flood, thus giving some idea of the amount that it is wise and proper to expend in order to prevent the recurrence of such losses. 

   The total number of reported lives lost in New England was 85, one in Rhode Island and the rest in Vermont. 

    The following tabulation is taken from the report of the Vermont Flood Survey: 

    Losses in Vermont caused by the flood of November 1927:
 
 

    Estimates of damages to highways and highway bridges in four of the New England States, prepared by the State highway departments, are shown below. In Maine there was practically no damage, and in Connecticut the damage was not reported. 

    Damages to highways and highway bridges caused by the flood of November 1927
 
 

    The damages to railroad property and the losses due to suspension of traffic, operation, and miscellaneous losses as reported to the New England Flood Committee of the American Railway Engineering Association are shown by the following tabulation: 

    Railroad losses caused by the flood of November 1927
 
 

    The official estimates of direct damage to agriculture in Vermont alone were approximately $1,500,000, the railroads sustained about $7,000,000, and other industries reported more than $5,500,000. In addition, there were indirect losses capable of fair appraisal which exceeded $7,000,000, and other deleterious effects due to the flood which can not be adequately expressed in monetary values. Of the total of direct or indirect damages in Vermont exceeding $28,000,000, the portion chargeable to the highway system is fully 25 per cent. 

    As partial compensation for these damages, some of the tests, training, and experiences, associated with the recent flood may eventually be worth a large part of the cost, in leading to effectual preventive or control measures that may be undertaken by the stricken communities and others to prevent the recurrence of such disasters. Flood prevention and control have ceased to be regarded as merely local problems; to be effective, they demand either State or Federal supervision.