The Baldwin Hills dam was built on a steep hillside in Southern California overlooking a packed residential community. It was considered an architectural wonder, at least by its designers. It also rested squarely on an earthquake fault. The designers insisted that the fault line would not affect their structure. Nestled away on a hillside, where it would not interfere with development, it served as a storage facility for the waters that follow in the form of rain and snow melt.

Then, on December 14, 1963, a crack was discovered. The local station KTLA sent a helicopter to film the frantic repair efforts, the first time an impending disaster was broadcast live. Three hours after the crack was discovered the dam failed and the waters of the Baldwin Hills Reservoir rushed down the hillside. …