I am beginning to relive some of the trauma of life along the Middle Mississippi Mississippi during 1993. Valmayer, Illinois, is back in the news as the community works desparately to fill 25,000 sandbags, and flooding at the confluence of the Missouri and the Mississippi near St. Louis\u00a0has caused widespread flooding. During 1993, which closed down commercial shipping on the river for many months, I traveled the river frequently. ALWAYS it was stomach-wrenching!<\/p>\n
The Flood of 2019 has now been ongoing some 82 days… since MARCH for folks in the Middle Mississippi. As we watch the current flood peaking in the next week, and hear about “levee boils” and breaks in the levees, it is worth noting that in 1993, the first dam did not burst until June 20th in Wisconsin. It was August 2 before the Mississippi crested at 49.7 feet in St. Louis. Today, rains still fall from Oklahoma to Louisiana, impacting both the Missouri and the Lower Mississippi Rivers. 2019 has been a record flood in terms of the time it has been affecting those who live along the Mississippi and its tributaries.<\/p>\n
First a Chronology of the Flood of 1993, compiled by Pat Middleton, Greatriver.com\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n 1993 Mississippi Flood CHRONOLOGY<\/b><\/p>\n \u00a0March 10 \u00a0Sandbags and Stuff<\/strong> <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I am beginning to relive some of the trauma of life along the Middle Mississippi Mississippi during 1993. Valmayer, Illinois, is back in the news as the community works desparately to fill 25,000 sandbags, and flooding at the confluence of … Continue reading
\n<\/strong>The National Weather Service predicts below normal precipitation for the summer: \u201cbut above average rainfall could mean flooding, given soil saturation, spring snow depths, and normal spring rains.\u201d
\n\u00a0June 10
\n<\/b>The first 8\u201d rainstorms begin in\u00a0Dakotas,\u00a0Wisconsin\u00a0and\u00a0Minnesota\u00a0June 20<\/strong>The first dam bursts, submerging 100 homes to their rooftops on the Black River in Western Wisconsin. The upper 200 miles of the Mississippi River are closed to river traffic. Locks and Dams are not operating.
\nJuly 5
\n<\/b>The bridge at Keokuk closes.
\n\u00a0July 10
\n<\/b>The bridge closes at\u00a0Fort Madison,\u00a0Iowa, which has experienced rain for 54 of 58 days.\u00a0 830 miles of\u00a0Mississippi River are closed to boat traffic between Cairo, Illinois and St. Paul, Minnesota. Over 100 rivers feeding into the Mississippi River flood by July 14.\u00a0 Unprecedented high-water on the Missouri River, Des Moines River, Illinois, Iowa, Skunk, Rock and Raccoon rivers (all tributaries of the\u00a0Mississippi River) promote the massive flooding of the\u00a0Mississippi River.
\nJuly 16
\n<\/b>The last Quincy, Illinois, bridge is closed, leaving no bridge between\u00a0Alton,\u00a0Illinois\u00a0and Burlington, Iowa. The Mississippi River is flooded to seven miles inland.
\nJuly 24
\n<\/strong>The Mississippi River at Quincy crests at a record 32 feet.
\nAugust 2
\n<\/strong>The Mississippi River crests at 49.7 feet in St. Louis, Missouri. Eleven times the volume of Niagara Falls is flowing under Eads Bridge; enough to fill Busch stadium every 65 seconds.
\nAugust 24
\n<\/strong>The Mississippi River locks reopen to commercial river traffic.
\nAugust 30
\n<\/b>The Des Moines River floods again, after another 10 inches of rain falls.\u00a0 The Mississippi River stays open.<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0(Statistics collected from various regional newspaper sources.)
\nThese stats offer a base for comparison as states come out for the Flood of 2019.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n