Mississippi River Floods (1993, 2008)

Residents along the Mississippi River are not unfamiliar with great floods throughout history. However, in 1993, an extraordinary flood took place on the Mississippi River, taking an enormous toll on human life and property. When the waters finally receded, some who lived through the floods of 1993 never thought they would have to experience it again. However, for many of the same areas, it did happen again—just three years later, in 1996. And while many people thought the floods of 1993 and 1996 were bad, they found the flood of 2008 to be worse in many respects.

The rains and floods from 1993 are still described in biblical terms. Many residents, used to thinking of rainfall as an event lasting hours or a few days, did ...