Communities in the Genesee River Valley like Geneseo and Avon suffered frequent flooding until the construction of the Mount Morris Dam. They were largely spared in 1972, but there was some minor flooding throughout the region after five days of heavy rain.
Hurricane Agnes Flood, Avon-Geneseo. Courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and OpenValley.
This map from the US Army Corps of Engineers showed the flooded region around Geneseo and Avon, although the flooding was not nearly as severe as in southern parts of the state.
View of the Geneseo Flats looking west across the SUNY Geneseo campus during the flood of 1972. Courtesy of Milne Library, State University of New York at Geneseo.
This photograph shows the flooded flatland surrounding the Genesee River west of the SUNY Geneseo campus during the flood of 1972. Jones Hall is in the foreground, with Livingston and Monroe Halls beyond, and Mary Jemison Dining Hall, Schrader Sports & Recreation Building, and the under-construction Merritt Athletic Center to the left. The photograph was taken on June 24, 1972 from Milne Library.