6 Midwestern States that Experienced Large Amounts of Flooding from the Great Flood of 2019
When it comes to flooding in the Midwest, or anywhere for that matter, you can never underestimate its risk. While weather is a large source of flooding experiences, the failure of manmade structures such as levees and dams can also lead to substantial flooding. In this week’s blog, your premier flood protection company at the Lake of the Ozarks, Big Bags USA® is going to highlight the Midwestern states that experienced excessive flooding in recent history.
In the Mississippi River flood of 2019, the Illinois
National Guard was enacted to assist with efforts along the Mississippi and
Illinois Rivers, being released from flood fighting duty on July 29, 2019. The
Pacatonica River has flooded seven times since May of 2017. The river crest in
Grafton, IL was the fourth highest ever recorded.
Iowa
Iowa experienced excessively heavy rains and flooding in
2019. With the Gov. Reynolds issuing an emergency disaster proclamation on
March 14th. There were areas of all nine state parks closed due to
standing water from spring flooding. The estimated damages sustained due to the
flooding exceeded $2 billion. Western Iowa was severely impacted in the
Missouri River Valley, where at least 30 levee failures flooded nearby towns
and highways. While in Eastern Iowa, the Quad Cities had 96 days where the
Mississippi River was above flood stage levels.
Missouri
With Interstate 29 under nearly 15 feet of water, a state of
emergency was issued by Gov. Parson on March 21st. Entire
communities such as Craig and parts of St. Joseph were evacuated. In Holt
Missouri, roughly 30,000 acres of the 95,000 acres that were impacted by severe
flooding were still underwater in late October of that year.
Nebraska
The Spencer Dam on the Niobara River failed on March 14th,
releasing an 11-foot wall of water. The flooding destroyed three bridges and
the Highway 281 bridge. In central Nebraska, the Missouri, Platte, and Elkhorn
rivers flooded, forcing the evacuation of the nearby locals. Other areas
seriously affected by the flooding include the Offutt Air Force Base, Camp
Ashland, and Lynch were all severely damaged or utterly destroyed by the
flooding. The estimate of damages exceeds $1.3 billion.
North Dakota
In North Dakaota, the spring flooding caused widespread
damages across 19 counties in the south central, easter, and western
regions. Gov. Burgum issued a statewide
flood emergency on October 21st. The flooding damaged homes, roads,
public infrastructure, and thousands of acres of farmland.
South Dakota
The blizzard in March dumped over 2 feet of snow in South Dakota. Followed by rising temperatures caused massive flooding. Roughly 8,000 residence of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservations were left without drinking water and stranded for days. In September, heavy rains brought over four times the normal amount, furthering the flooding throughout the state. The Big Sioux River overflowed damaging parts of Dell Rapids. Washing bridges out in Mitchell and closing portions of Interstate 90. Residence of Madison had to be rescued by boats after nine inches of rain fell in within a two-day period.
Many of these communities are still experiencing lingering
effects from the aftermath of the flooding. As the damages and cost, as well as
the sedimentary issues with the land have made it difficult to resume full
function again. These are key reasons to understand the importance of flood mitigation and have flood preparedness procedures in place.
While it cannot stop floodwaters, it can help mitigate their damages. At Big
Bags USA®, we supply and deploy our large
sandbag barrier system as a cost-efficient, and rapidly deployable means of
flood protection to help protect those in need. Contact us today to see how we
can help assist your community with its flood protection needs.
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