Chapter 4
The Great Flood of 1993
As long as there have been rivers, there have been floods. Still, people are never ready
for the effects of a flood. The people of Johnstown were used to flooding now and
then. So were those who lived in the Mississippi River Basin in 1993.
The Mississippi River is the main branch of a huge river system. The river runs for
2,400 miles. It starts in Minnesota and ends in the Gulf of Mexico. The river is fed
by thousands of smaller rivers and streams.
24
People have built locks, dams, and canals to keep the Mississippi in its banks. They
have built levees—high banks—to keep the river from overflowing. Walls make
the river channel deeper. But a change in the weather can strain the river system.
Many people live and work in the lowlands. The chance of a flood is part of life. They
are used to flooding now and then.
Weather trouble began in October 1992. It was a rainy fall. The soil had soaked up as
much water as it could hold. Then winter rain and heavy snow made the problem
worse.
25
In March 1993 the National Weather Service forecast little rain for summer, but there
was a warning. Heavy rains were likely to cause flooding. Even one heavy rain
would be a problem.
When spring rains melted the snow, the water had nowhere to go because the soil
already held as much water as it could. So the water ran off the land. It filled the
river system. Rivers were running close to flood stage.
Spring rains caused some local flooding. People mopped up and went on with their
lives. They did not worry. They were used to flooding.
26
*On June 10 the first big storm hit. It dumped eight inches of rain on the upper
Midwest. It was the first day of the wettest summer in 98 years. Rivers reached
flood stage by the end of June. Flood warnings were sent out.
People moved things to attics. They bought bottled water. They stored food. They
checked batteries. They stocked first-aid kits. They filled sandbags. They waited for
the water to rise.
On June 20 a dam burst. Hundreds of miles of the Mississippi were closed to river
traffic because the water was too high. Rivers running into the Mississippi had no
place to go. The water rose to the rooftops. The first hundred homes were
destroyed. The* Great Flood of 1993 had begun.
27
Flood Damage
The flood affected millions of people. Many had to live with months of bad weather.
Some had to deal with high water. Everyone suffered damage. Losses spread
across the Plains, just as the water did.
Bridges washed out. Rail and river traffic stopped. Towns were cut off. Goods could not
be shipped in or out. Some mills could not operate because of high water. Some
could not get the raw materials needed to manufacture goods. They could not ship
goods.
Stores closed too. Some had water damage. Others could not send orders or get stock
for the shelves. They could not get customers to shop at their stores. Many
businesses that shut down never opened again.
28
On the farms, crops were ruined. Nothing could be harvested. Nothing could be planted.
Livestock could not be fed. Farmers lost at least two years of income.
In towns and cities, people had to leave their homes. Some had to move out until the
flood danger passed. Some chose to stay but were stranded. They could travel only
by boat.
In some cases, the floods wiped whole towns right off the map. Like the people of
Johnstown, the people of these towns were left with nothing. They had to rebuild
from scratch.
All of these losses came at a high cost. They added up to billions of dollars.
29
Farmhouse surrounded by floodwaters
30