Anyone who was geographically situated in the plains region in 1993 can likely recall the mess that mother nature made, not only in Saint Louis and it's neighboring areas, but also in several portions of the nation's midsection. Here in Topeka, I recall making nightly visits to the Kansas River which is nearly always more reminiscent of a stream, to observe the water level as it rose. My dad volunteered at the Red Cross to fill sand bags, but as is generally the case, it was too little to late. A great deal of damage was incurred by many surrounding communities, though Topeka itself was spared. I can also recall the tales I heard when we first moved here in regard to the 1951 flood, which was responsible for the river mud deposits we discovered inside the walls of our home when we started to do some renovations. There hasn't been a major flood event in town since then, and it was said to be a 100 year flood.

It is reported that the last ten major floods in the ST. Louis area have happened in the past 65 years, which on average means that properties will be damaged and families will be displaced every six and a half years. In light of such high probabilitiy it seems illogical to even consider rebuilding anywhere near the floodplains of the Missouri River, it would be an ill conceived investment in my opinion. I can certainly understand a persons reluctance to abandon their home in search of higher ground. Even if a person was financially capable of making such a transition, a persons home is where they make it, and finding yourself in a position to start over is never easy. Consider the financial implications of being uninsured, or underinsured and the dilemma is obviously compounded.

There is a reason why insurance companies are reluctant to sell flood insurance to residents in flood prone areas. The issue is being made worse by the increasing number of floods that are taking place over a relatively short period of time. There isn't much profit in paying insurance benefits repeatedly. There are likely a number of people who would advocate for advanced levee systems, perhaps increasing the height to adjust for the onset of higher river levels. It seems as if there is some correlation between an increase in the number and height of levees and flood recurrence as well as severity, this according to information found on the SIUC "Perspectives" web site.

Nicholas Pinter, a geologist at the university, states that the next flood could very well be much

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