Case Study: The Mississippi River Flood of 1993

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Case Study: The Mississippi River Flood of 1993

This project describes the characteristics of the most devastating flooding disaster in U.S history, the 1993 Mississippi River flood after reading this case study you should know:

  • What is the definition of a flood?
  • Facts about the Mississippi River
  • How large an area was affected by the 1993 Mississippi flood?
  • Why did flooding occur?
  • How was the flood event related to regional weather patterns?
  • What is the difference between the upper and lower Mississippi?
  • What is the difference between prevention and adjustment?
  • How were levee systems affected by the flooding?
  • How are dams used for flood control within the Mississippi River basin?
  • Did most of the residents of the floodplain have flood insurance?
  • How did flooding affect people and the economy of the Midwest?

Introduction

A flood is defined as the temporary overflow of a river onto adjacent lands not normally covered by water. The most devastating flood in U.S. history occurred in the summer of 1993.

  • The Mississippi River at St. Louis, Missouri, was above flood stage for 144 days between April 1 and September 30, 1993.
  • Approximately 3 billion cubic meters of water overflowed from the river channel onto the floodplain downstream from St. Louis.
  • All large Midwestern streams flooded including the Mississippi, Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Des Moines and Wisconsin rivers.
  • Seventeen thousand square miles of land were covered by floodwaters in a region covering all or parts of nine states (North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois).

Some facts about The Mississippi River

  • The Mississippi River flows over 2,350 miles, from Lake Itasca, Minnesota, to the Gulf of Mexico.
  • 40% of North America's ducks, geese, swan and wading bird species rely on the Mississippi River as a migration corridor.
  • 241 fish species inhabit the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
  • The Mississippi River serves as a shared border for 10 states.
  • The river and its tributaries supply drinking water for more than 18 million people in central U.S.
  • There are 29 locks and dams on the Upper Mississippi.
  • The Upper Mississippi has over 600 water-orientated recreation sites.
  • Annual revenue from recreational uses on the river exceeds $1.2 billion in the Upper Mississippi River alone; sport fishing and waterfowl hunting generate revenues of $100 million and $58 million respectively.
  • Dam 15 in the Quad Cities is the largest roller dam in the world.
  • One of the few sections of the Mississippi that actually flows east and west is located in the Quad Cities area. Mark Twain called it the Land of the Sunsets.
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Causes of Flooding

There were four principal reasons why flooding was so extensive:

  • The region received higher than normal precipitation during the first half of 1993. Much of the area received over 150% of normal rainfall and parts of North Dakota, Kansas, and Iowa received more than double their typical rainfall.
  • Individual storms frequently dumped large volumes of precipitation that could not be accommodated by local streams. The map at the bottom shows rainfall in Iowa over a two-day period. Over six inches of rain fell in parts of southern Iowa;
  • ...

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