Great Flood of 1993

Flood waters inundated parts of Jefferson City, MO and threatened the Missouri State Capitol during the "Great Flood of 1993".
Duration	April - October 1993
Damages	$15 billion [1]
Fatalities	50 [1]
Areas affected	Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin

The Great Flood of 1993 occurred in the American Midwest, along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and their tributaries, from April to October of 1993. The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. The State of Iowa ( is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. Kansas ( is a Midwestern state in the central region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the American " Minnesota ( Native Americans demonstrated the name to early settlers Missouri ( or) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee Nebraska ( is a state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States and North Dakota ( is a state located in the Midwestern and Western regions of the United States of America. South Dakota ( is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. Wisconsin ( or wɪˈskɑnsɨn (French Ouisconsin) is one of the fifty United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Mississippi River is the second longest River in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to The flood was among the most costly and devastating to ever occur in The United States, with $15 billion in damages. The hydrographic basin affected cover around 745 miles (1200 km) in length and 435 miles (700 km) in width, totaling about 320,000 square miles (840,000 km²)^[1]. Within this zone, the flooded area totaled around 30,000 square miles (80,000 km²)^[2] and was the worst such U. A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land a deluge S. disaster since the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, as measured by duration, square miles inundated, persons displaced, crop and property damage, and number of record river levels. This article is about the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 For the Mississippi Flood of 1993 see Great Flood of 1993. In some categories, the 1993 flood even surpassed the 1927 flood, at the time the largest flood ever recorded on the Mississippi.

Causes

Satellite photo of the Mississippi, Missouri, and Illinois rivers near St. Louis, Missouri during the Great Flood of 1993. Missouri ( or) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee

Same location imaged by the Landsat program in September 2002

It has been suggested that unusually heavy precipitation beginning in the year leading up to the flood was the result of excess cloud condensation nuclei from the earth-circling ash cloud generated by the massive eruption (the second largest of the 20th century) of the Philippines volcano Mount Pinatubo in June 1991. The Landsat program is the longest running enterprise for acquisition of imagery of Earth from space Cloud condensation nuclei or CCN s (also known as cloud seeds) are small particles (typically 0 Volcanic ash consists of small Tephra, which are bits of pulverized rock and glass created by volcanic eruptions less than in diameter The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP Plate tectonics and hotspots Divergent plate boundaries At the Mount Pinatubo is an active Stratovolcano located on the island of Luzon A rainy autumn in 1992 resulted in above normal soil moisture and reservoir levels in the Missouri and Upper Mississippi River basins, and during the winter of 1992-93, the region experienced heavy snowfall. The Mississippi River is the second longest River in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to These conditions were followed by persistent spring weather patterns that produced storms over the same locations. These wet weather conditions contrasted sharply with the droughts and heat waves experienced in the southeastern United States. A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply A heat wave is a prolonged period of excessively hot Weather, which may be accompanied by high Humidity.

Storms, persistent and repetitive in nature during the late spring and summer, bombarded the Upper Midwest with voluminous rainfall amounts. Portions of east-central Iowa received as much as 48 inches (1,200 mm) of rain, between April 1 and August 31, 1993, and many areas across the central-northern plains had 400-750% above, normal precipitation. Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Events 1056 - Byzantine Empress Theodora becomes ill dying suddenly a few days later without children to succeed the Throne Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) ^[1] In the St. Louis National Weather Service (NWS) forecast area encompassing eastern Missouri and southwest Illinois, 36 forecast points rose above flood stage, and 20 river stage records were broken. The National Weather Service ( NWS) once known as the Weather Bureau is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Missouri ( or) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. Flood stage is the point at which the surface of a River, creek, or other body of water has risen to a sufficient level to cause damage The 1993 flood broke record river levels set during the 1973 Mississippi and the 1951 Missouri River floods.

An Illinois man, James Scott, 23 at the time, was sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in causing some of the flooding, across the river from Quincy, IL, and was officially convicted for "intentionally causing a catastrophe". Scott removed several sandbags from a levee holding back the water, in an attempt to strand his wife on the other side of the river so he could continue partying. The breach flooded 14,000 acres (57 km²) of farmland, destroyed buildings and closed a bridge. ^[3][4] While Scott caused one levee to fail, more than 1,000 levees failed in the flooding.

Timeline

April

The view at the St. Louis riverfront

In April, the Mississippi River had crested 6 to 10 feet (2 to 3 m) above flood stage and once again approached near the same levels during the month of May. In the beginning of June, the rivers dropped below flood stage and were receding. During the second week of June, river levels rose to near flood stage before yet again beginning their slow recession. By the end of June, the Mississippi River was four feet (1. 2 m) below flood stage at St. Louis, while many other river locations in the region were near flood stage. Precipitation for the month averaged from one inch (25 mm) above normal at Kansas City, to nearly four inches (100 mm) above normal at Springfield. Kansas City Missouri only Items for the metro area Kansas City Kansas or North Kansas City MO should go on their respective pages Springfield is a city in Christian and Greene Counties in the U

May

The Redwood River in Minnesota began experiencing severe flooding in May. The Redwood River is a Tributary of the Minnesota River, 127 miles (205 km long in southwestern Minnesota in the United States. Minnesota ( Native Americans demonstrated the name to early settlers ^[5] On May 22, Sioux Falls, South Dakota receives 7. Events 334 BC - The Greek army of Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of the Granicus. Sioux Falls (ˌsuː ˈfɔːlz is the largest city in the US state of South Dakota. 5 inches (190 mm) of rain in a three hour period. From May - July, Sioux Falls receives 22. 55 inches (573 mm) of rain, the wettest three-month period in its history. ^[6]

June

In June, flooding occurred along the Black River in Wisconsin, with flooding also starting to occur along the Mississippi, Missouri, and Kansas rivers. Black River is a common name for streams and communities around the world as well as the Spanish and Portuguese translation for Rio Negro. Wisconsin ( or wɪˈskɑnsɨn (French Ouisconsin) is one of the fifty United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States The Mississippi River is the second longest River in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to The Kansas River (also known as the Kaw) is a River in northeastern Kansas in the United States. ^[5] Starting as early as June 7, reports of levees being overtopped and levee breaks became common. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins These breaches acted to delay the flood crests, temporarily storing excess water in the adjacent lowlands, but the rain kept falling.

Mississippi River out of its banks in Festus, Missouri. Festus is a city in Jefferson County, Missouri, United States.

July

July brought more heavy rain to the Missouri and upper Mississippi River basins in Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Illinois and Minnesota. Rainfall amounts of 5 to 7 inches (125 to 175 mm) in 24 hours were common. Precipitation for the month averaged from one inch (25 mm) above normal at St. In Meteorology, precipitation (also known as one class of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric Louis and Springfield, to between six and seven inches (150 to 175 mm) above normal at Columbia and Kansas City, Missouri. The copious rain amounts during July sent record setting crests down the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, causing river gauges to malfunction along the way. Both record crests met each other at their confluence near St. Louis within days of each other.

From July 11 until July 22 the Des Moines Water Works treatment facility was flooded by the Raccoon River. Events 911 - Signing of the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte between Charles the Simple and Rollo of Normandy. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of See also Raccoon Creek The Raccoon River is a Tributary of the Des Moines River in central This resulted in the plant being powered down and no running water for that period. During this time the Army National Guard and American Red Cross set up water stations, and the local Anheuser-Busch bottler distributed water in white six-packs with their logo on it. The Army National Guard ( ARNG) is the land force militia organized by each of the several states and territories of the United States The American Red Cross (also known as the American National Red Cross) is a humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance disaster relief and education inside Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc ( (ˈænhаɪzər bʊʃ is the largest Brewing company in the United States with a 48 Once running water was restored there was enough pressure to bathe and flush toilets, but the water was not certified potable until July 29. Water of sufficient quality to serve as drinking water is termed potable water whether it is used for drinking or not Events 1014 - Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars: Battle of Kleidion: Byzantine emperor Basil II inflicts a decisive defeat The final usage restrictions were lifted in August.

Water encroaching on the City of Alton, Illinois

The Mississippi River stalled a few days at the April 1973 record stages, seemingly waiting for the Missouri River to arrive, before pushing levels upwards again, breaking levees, driving people and their possessions to higher ground and causing havoc with anything in its path. Alton is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about 15 miles north of St

The crests, now combined as one, moved downstream through St. Louis on the way to the confluence with the Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois. The Ohio River is the largest Tributary by volume of the Mississippi River. Cairo is a city in Alexander County, Illinois in the United States. Only minor flooding occurred below the Ohio due to the river's larger channel below that point, and the drought the eastern U. S. was facing at the same time; if the Ohio River watershed had not been in drought conditions, the 1993 flood might have rivaled the 1927 flood in overall damage on the lower Mississippi.

Major sandbagging activities were underway on the lower Missouri River, the River des Peres in St. A sandbag (floodbag is a sack made of burlap, polypropylene or other materials that is filled with Sand or Soil and used for such purposes as flood The River des Peres is a metropolitan river in St Louis, Missouri. Louis, the Mississippi River south of St. Louis and on many other tributaries across Missouri and Illinois. Some of these efforts were successful while others were not as the river continued to spawn destruction.

Civil Air Patrol crews from 21 states served more than 5,000 meals to flood victims and volunteers, and their pilots logged more than 1,500 hours in the air inspecting utility lines and pipelines. The Civil Air Patrol ( CAP) is the civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF ^[7]

Over 1,000 flood warnings and statements, five times the normal, were issued to notify the public and need-to-know officials of river levels. In places like St. Louis, river levels were nearly 20 feet (6 m) above flood stage and had never been this high in its 228 year history. The 52 foot (16 m) St. Louis Floodwall, built to handle the volume of the 1844 flood, was able to keep the 1993 flood out with just over two feet (0. 6 m) to spare.

August

Monument to the flood at Jones-Confluence Point State Park at the confluence of the Missouri River and Mississippi River in St. Charles County, Missouri. Jones-Confluence Point State Park is a Missouri state park located on the north side of the Missouri River at its confluence with the Mississippi River, The Mississippi River is the second longest River in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to St Charles County is a County located in the US state of Missouri. The flag says the water reached the top of the pole and was 438. 2 feet (133. 6 m). The confluence site is normally 400 feet (120 m) above sea level.

On August 1, levee breaks near Columbia, Illinois flooded 47,000 acres (190 km²) of land, inundating the towns of Valmeyer and Fults, Illinois. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Columbia is a city located primarily in Monroe County Illinois and partially in St Valmeyer is a village in Monroe County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River. Fults is a village in the Renault precinct of Monroe County, Illinois, United States. The released water continued to flow parallel to the river, approaching the levees protecting historic Prairie du Rocher and Fort de Chartres. Prairie du Rocher ("Prairie of the Rock" in French) is a village in Randolph County, Illinois, United States. Fort de Chartres was a French Fortification first built in 1720 on the east bank of the Mississippi River in present-day Illinois. On August 3, a decision was made to break through the stronger Mississippi River levee to allow the water back into the river. Events 8 - Roman Empire General Tiberius defeats Dalmatians on the river Bathinus. The plan worked and the historic areas were saved, although many residents of counties above Prarie du Rocher were flooded instead.

On the Missouri River it was estimated that nearly all of the 700 privately built agricultural levees were overtopped or destroyed. Navigation on the Mississippi and Missouri River had been closed since early July resulting in a loss of $2 million (1993) per day in commerce.

The Mississippi River at St. Louis crested at 49. 6 feet (15. 1 m) on August 1, nearly 20 feet (6 m) ^[8] above flood stage and had a peak flow rate of 1,080,000 ft³/s (30,600 m³/s). Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman At this rate, a bowl the size of Busch Memorial Stadium would be filled to the brim in 69 seconds. Busch Memorial Stadium, or Busch Stadium was the home of the St

Costs and damage

Some locations on the Mississippi River flooded for almost 200 days while locations on the Missouri neared 100 days of flooding. On the Mississippi, Grafton, Illinois, recorded flooding for 195 days, Clarksville, Missouri, for 187 days, Winfield, Missouri, for 183 days, Hannibal, Missouri, for 174 days, and Quincy, Illinois, for 152 days. Grafton is the oldest city in Jersey County, Illinois, United States. Clarksville is a city in Pike County, Missouri, United States. Winfield is a city in Lincoln County, Missouri, United States. Hannibal is a city in Marion and Ralls counties in the US state of Missouri. Quincy Illinois, known as the " Gem City " is a city on the Mississippi River in Adams County, Illinois, United States The Missouri River was above flood stage for 62 days in Jefferson City, Missouri, 77 days at Hermann, Missouri; and for 94 days at St. Charles in the St. Hermann is a city designated in 1842 as the County seat of Gasconade County, Missouri, United States. St Charles ( French: "Saint-Charles" Spanish: "San Carlos" is a city in and the county seat of St Louis metropolitan area. On October 7, 103 days after it began, the Mississippi River at St. Events 3761 BC - The epoch (origin of the modern Hebrew calendar ( Proleptic Julian calendar) Louis finally dropped below flood stage. Approximately 10,000 homes were destroyed as a result of the flooding, with 15 million acres (60,000 km²) of farmland inundated, and the whole towns of Valmeyer, Illinois and Rhineland, Missouri were relocated to higher ground. Valmeyer is a village in Monroe County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River. Rhineland is a village in Montgomery County, Missouri, United States. ^[1] The floods cost thirty two lives officially; however, a more likely target is suspected to be around fifty people, as well as an estimated 15-20 billion dollars in damages.

Comparison to other big floods

USGS exhibit showing flood levels at Westport Landing on the Missouri River in Kansas City. The flood heights on the exhibit from top to bottom are 1993, 1844 and 1951. ASB Bridge in background

Channeling and levee construction have altered how the floods have hit various areas along the Missouri River. The Armour-Swift-Burlington (ASB Bridge is a rail crossing over the Missouri River in Kansas City Missouri that formerly also handled car traffic Here's a comparison of the three big floods since the early 1800s.

• Great Flood of 1844 - This was the biggest flood of the three in terms of rate of discharge at Westport Landing in Kansas City. The Great Flood of 1844 is the biggest Flood ever recorded on the Missouri River and Upper Mississippi River, in North America, in terms of discharge It is estimated that 625,000 cubic feet per second (17,700 m³/s) was discharged in the flood. However the crest on July 16, 1844, was almost a foot (0. Events 622 - The beginning of the Islamic calendar. 1054 - Three Roman legates fractured relations between the Western and Year 1844 ( MDCCCXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year 3 m) lower than the 1993 flood.
• Great Flood of 1951 - The 1951 flood was the second biggest in terms of rate of discharge at 573,000 ft³/s (16,200 m³/s). In mid-July 1951 heavy rains led to a great rise of water in the Kansas River and other surrounding areas The 1951 crest on July 14, 1951, was almost two feet (0. Events 1223 - Louis VIII becomes King of France upon the death of his father Philip II of France. Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January 6 m) lower than the 1844 flood and three feet (1 m) lower than 1993. However, the flood was the most devastating of all modern floods for Kansas City since its levee system was not built to withstand it. It destroyed the Kansas City Stockyards and caused Kansas City to build Kansas City International Airport away from the Missouri River bottoms to replace the heavily damaged Fairfax Airport in Kansas City, Kansas. The Kansas City Stockyards in the West Bottoms west of downtown Kansas City Missouri flourished from 1871 until closing in 1974 Kansas City International Airport, originally named Mid-Continent International Airport Fairfax Airport was an Airport in Kansas City Kansas from 1921 until it closed in 1985 that is most famously associated with the construction of most of the Kansas City Kansas. Items for the metro area should also go to the Kansas City Metropolitan Area page Items for Kansas City Missouri
• Great Flood of 1993 - The 1993 flood was the highest of any of the three but had the lowest discharge at 541,000 ft³/s (15,300 m³/s). While the 1993 flood had devastating impacts elsewhere, Kansas City survived it relatively well because of levee improvements after the 1951 flood.

See also

• Floods in the United States

References