Monday, June 28, 2010

The Great Flood of 1993

Kansas City flood levels in 1844, 1951 and 1993 as shown at
Westport Landing on the Missouri River in Kansas City.
Photo by Americasroof 2006
"It cannot be tamed, curbed or confined...you cannot bar its path with an obstruction which it will not tear down, dance over and laugh at. The Mississippi River will always have its own way, no engineering skill can persuade it to do otherwise...” -Mark Twain

"Wild rivers are earth's renegades, defying gravity, dancing to their own tunes, resisting the authority of humans, always chipping away, and eventually always winning."- Richard Bangs, River Gods

1993 marked an amazing midwestern weather phenomenon. A heavy wet winter, spring and summer throughout the upper midwest and a stagnant weather system inundated the lands until they could not hold it and the tributaries to the Mississippi River swelled and burst through levees. Through our connection to the Mississippi River via the Missouri and Kansas Rivers, northeast Kansas experienced 100 year record level flooding. Thanks to advanced warning systems and continuous updates there were no lives lost in Kansas, but many were displaced and crops were lost.

Wikipedia article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Flood_of_1993 Impact of the 1993 Flood on Kansas from the NOAA


Maps and Images
Significant River Flood Outlook

Reports and Studies
United States Geological Survey (USGS):
http://mo.water.usgs.gov/Reports/1993-Flood/index.htm



After the flood
Cleanup guidelines and issues to consider from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE)

After a Hurricane or Flood: Cleanup of Flood Water by the Center for Disease Control (CDC)

Flooded septic systems from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Article by: Kim Harp. Please use the "Comments" link/box below for questions and comments.

1 comment:

  1. My mom used to tell me about this flood. Really horrifying!

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