Norwich — The Norwich Lions Club will donate copies of the book “A Swift and Deadly Maelstrom: the Great Norwich Flood of 1963,” written by survivor Thomas R. Moody, to 16 local schools and to Otis Library Monday.

The Lions hope the revealing account of Norwich’s catastrophic 1963 flood will help students learn about Norwich’s rich history, Norwich Lions President Kevin Harkins said.

“We are planting a seed, giving educators a tool to teach young people about the events that shaped the Norwich of today,” Harkins said. He said the Lions Club was asked by the St. Anthony Chapel Foundation to provide schools with copies of the book, and members recognized the importance of the project.

The eldest of three young children who lost their mother on the night of March 6, 1963, Moody gives a first-hand account of life saving heroics and a town’s struggle to recover from a tragedy in which six people died.

“The Spalding Dam flood was a game changer for Norwich,” said City Historian Dale Plummer. “Evidence of this terrible event can still be seen today,” Plummer said.