April showers bring May flowers - and flooding. Our Mighty Mississippi River is full right now. Flood stage here in downtown is 32 feet. The projected crest, which is the highest level the river is projected to reach, is 43 feet. Unfortunately, for heartland residents this is nothing new.
1937
The flood of 1937 caused $20 million in damage, the equivalent of more than $300 million in today's dollars. Thousands of people were left homeless and displaced for months, some forever. Tent cities, areas of high ground where people congregated to seek shelter, popped up across the area. For the first time since its construction in the early 1930's, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decided it was necessary to open the Birds Point Levee and help alleviate flooding pressure along the river. Cleanup throughout the Southeast Missouri area lasted for years and historians refer to this event as one of the greatest natural disasters in the country's history.
1943
Like the major flood six years prior, the flood of 1943 was huge. The Mississippi crested at 42.4 feet in May of that year; 10.4 feet above flood stage. Just like before, thousands were displaced from their homes, WWII efforts were disrupted and livelihoods were ruined. In response to the widespread devastation, Congress passed the Flood Control Act in 1944 authorizing numerous flood control and water development projects to aid in the management of these efforts down the road.
Both 1937 and 1943 pictures are from the areas of Cape Girardeau, Charleston, Wyatt, Cairo and New Madrid
1993
Crazy events culminated in the Flood of '93 because our area really didn't receive that much rain. Snow melt combined with an excessive amount
of rain to the north caused our waters to rise excessively. The river first crept above above flood stage on March 7 and remained above this level for 126 consecutive days. Sandbaggers and pumps worked tirelessly for weeks trying to keep water out of our area. The entire affected area included the states of: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin and Illinois. Approximately fifty flood deaths occurred and damages approached the $15 billion mark.
Our immediate forecast is iffy on the chance of rain. We'll just have to wait and see what Mother Nature decides to pass our way.
Photos courtesy of Chris Shivelbine, Southeast Missourian and UMSL