2019's Year End Flood Review

There is something both devastating and incredible about the way the weather works. In one moment it can be a peaceful and beautiful place and then in another, it can turn into whipping winds and rising floodwaters. 2019 has had it’s share of intense weather, from the spring floods in the Midwest to hurricanes in the Atlantic. Big Bags USA makes it a point to travel around to the different areas that are experiencing the catastrophic flooding to assist with the fastest flood barriers available, which means we’ve been around the country a lot this year. Here is a quick review of the year to bring to mind what our communities have experienced at the hand of Mother Nature.


Spring Floods in the Midwest

2019 has been quite the year in terms of flooding. There have been over 10 billion -dollars worth of weather and climate change disasters this year, according to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. Some of the biggest happened along the Mississippi, Missouri, and Arkansas rivers. There were also over 14 million people impacted by flooding this year, and over 200 million were at risk.

The Midwest flooding was a catastrophic event, and we found ourselves traveling up and down the country helping communities stay safe with the best flood barriers on the market. Winter, Spring, and Summer were all nailed with the weather changes, which means that those communities took a substantial hit to their properties, farms, businesses, and farms.

A LookBack

Here is a quick look as some costly and major rounds of flooding that happened in 2019 between March and September.
  • Southeast, Ohio Valley and Northeast Severe Weather, February 23-25
  • Missouri River and North Central Flooding, March 14-31
  • Mississippi River, Midwest and Southern Flooding, March 15-July 31
  • Texas Hail Storm, March 22-24
  • Southern and Eastern Tornadoes and Severe Weather, April 13-14
  • South and Southeast Severe Weather May 7-13
  • Mississippi River, Midwest and Southern Flooding, March 15-July 31
  • Arkansas River Flooding, May 20 - June 14
  • Rockies, Central and Northeast Tornadoes and Severe Weather, May 26-29
  • Hurricane Dorian, August 28-September 6
  • Tropical Storm Imelda, September 17-21

These major rounds of flooding and storm weather happened between March and September, and in many cases, communities were flooded more than once with hardly any time between to put forth a good recovery effort. Spring flooding is inevitable with the snowmelt, but this year many parts of the Midwest were hit with a “bomb cyclone” which dropped enormous amounts of snow and rain in just a short period.


Hurricanes of 2019

In addition to the fair share of rain, snowmelt, and flooding - hurricanes also added to the list as well. Chances are that we’ve seen the last of the Atlantic hurricanes for 2019, which gives a total of 19 named storms, 6 hurricanes, 3 intense hurricanes, and an ACE index of 129.8. Here is a quick overview of the Atlantic hurricanes that we saw in 2019:
  • Hurricane Dorian: Category 5, devastates the Bahamas, then hits the U.S. and Canada
  • Imelda: the 5th wettest tropical cyclone in continental U.S. History
  • Hurricane Barry: Caused $600 million in damage and set all-time Arkansas rainfall records
  • Hurricane Lorenzo: Became the Easternmost Atlantic category 5 and most destructive Azores storm on record

Other notable storms include:
  • Tropical Storm Fernand with 45 mpg sustained winds, just south of the Texas border.
  • Hurricane Humberto was very close to Bermuda and had wind gusts of over 100 mph. Tropical Storm Nestor came ashore in the Florida Panhandle in October with 45 mph winds, heavy rainfall, flooding, and severe thunderstorms across Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas.
  • Tropical Storm Olga formed in the Gulf of Mexico in October, and it made landfall in Louisiana after being absorbed by a cold front - bringing torrential rains, flooding, severe thunderstorms, and wind gusts topping 70 mph.
  • Hurricane Pablo became the 6th Atlantic hurricane of 2019 on October 27th. It was unusually far north near Boston and became a hurricane at the farthest to the east that an Atlantic storm has first become a hurricane. The previous record was Hurricane Vince in 2005.
  • Finally, Tropical Storm Rebekah became a storm on October 30 and was the farthest north that an Atlantic named storm has formed this late in the calendar year since Subtropical Storm Two developed on December 9, 1975.

Goodbye 2019 - Hello 2020!

As we close out the 2019 year, we are thankful for the communities that have been saved and supported through the products that Big Bags USA provides. We’ve seen the difference between having a solid flood plan and the best flooding tools on the market compared to those who are caught off guard and have to react quickly without the preparation. While we wish that 2020 would be a flood-free year, the speculations are already coming in and it’s looking like another wet year.

If your business or home is located in a flood plain, or even just near a river that is known for flooding, now is the time to get prepared. Big Bags USA makes it as easy as possible to prepare your community, and we are proud to say that you can get your Big Bags USA supplies through GSA Advantage. You can click the links below to learn more about purchasing through GSA Schedule 84. We wish you a prosperous New Year, and if your town finds itself in the middle of a flooding crisis, Big Bags USA wants to help!

MADE IN THE USA ~ 100% Manufactured in Missouri ~ BUY AMERICAN  

If you have an immediate need for our systems or have any questions for us, please call us toll-free at 1-800-337-0537 or visit www.BigBagsUSA.com.


ALWAYS READY TO HELP LOCAL, STATE, & FEDERAL AGENCIES ... BE PREPARED!

Location: Camdenton, MO 65020, USA

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