Thursday marked the 40th anniversary of the Johnstown Flood. The widespread devastation from that flood didn’t just damage Johnstown, it also left its mark on many smaller towns.

That included the village of Nanty Glo which is located about 10 miles north of Johnstown. The people who live there can still remember the loud and blinding displays of thunder and lightning.

The Blacklick Creek, which runs through town, could not handle the rain that fell. Some parts of town were under as much as 10 to 20 feet under water.

The fire department is the heartbeat of this town and many of the volunteers who serve here now have relatives who were called to action in 1977.

One of them was Jay Evans. The former school teacher said he was watching the Major League All-Star Game when the power went out.  A short time later he got the call.

“I’ll never forget Tom Waltz, our chief, and I asked him what’s up. he said there’s two houses going to wash away on Pergim Hill and you’re going to try to save them,” Evans recalled.

Volunteer firefighters from Nanty Glo spent the night helping some people evacuate their homes by boat. In the following days they went to help with the relief effort in Johnstown.

The Blacklick Valley football field is next to the creek that flooded. The damage was so bad that in 1977 the football team had to play all of its games on the road.

There is a shed near that field that notes the high water mark from July 20, 1977.