The Mississippi River was expected to crest in Missouri today. Many areas have been flooded and parts of Illinois are being affected too. And, of course there has been severe flooding in other midwestern states as well, such Iowa.
Levees have broken in some places, and more are expected to break in the days ahead. I have been trying to get a sense of the total number of individuals and families affected, but the damage has been spread out over so many days, it been hard to piece together.
The bottom line is, it seems we are not very far from another disaster like Katrina. It probably will feel a bit different and may not even be reported on in the same way, because the damage has taken place slowly and in small bursts as areas flood or levees burst, but it's startling to experience this sort of event (especially if you weren't around for the one that happened in the 1990s).
When you visit certain towns along the river, you see old flood marks painted on the facades of buildings along main street with years next to them. Sometimes they are 10 feet above the ground, sometimes higher. I remember walking through Cape Girardeau and looking up at the recorded lines for earlier floods. Andy and I tried to imagine what it would be like if something similar happened again.
(Kind of like reading tornado stats for your area and attempting to calculate the odds you might see something as bad as the twister of '82. It's a bit scary, and it makes you wonder where on Earth you might be able to live that could be safe from environmental disasters.)
Meanwhile, with the current flooding crisis, food prices have been driven higher, many lives have been lost, and weather patterns seem to be continuing to surprise everyone. Things don't feel so good right now.
Many prayers to those affected by the floods or who are helping friends and family cope with the aftermath. May the days ahead bring better news.
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