Flash Flood in Mississippi County, Missouri

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers activated the New Madrid Floodway by detonating a levee at Birds Point. The intentional levee breach relieved pressure on levees along the lower Ohio River and portions of the Mississippi River. The blast that opened the 11,000-foot gap in the levee shattered windows in Mississippi County and rattled windows as far away as Paducah, Kentucky. The flash flood caused by the levee breach was anticipated for days, and evacuations had been completed beforehand. Over 130,000 acres of prime farmland were submerged. About 100 homes were flooded, forcing the evacuation of 300 residents. The tiny community of Pinhook was inundated, and no decision had been made by residents on whether to rebuild the community. A primary national insurer estimated private property losses were around 100 million dollars within the floodway. Mississippi County officials estimated the cost to repair public infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and ditches was nearly 75 million dollars. The westward extent of the flash flood was limited by a second set of levees (called setback levees) designed to channel the water back toward the Mississippi River. The floodway remained submerged for the remainder of the month.

Heavy rainfall in March set the stage for major flooding when record-setting rains fell in April and May. At Cape Girardeau, 31.85 inches of rain fell between March and May. This set the record for the wettest meteorological spring (March through May) and was 68 percent of the normal rainfall for the entire year. The result of all this rain was rapid and dramatic rises on rivers. Record flood crests occurred on some rivers, inundating numerous homes and businesses. There were major impacts to transportation both on land and water. There were numerous closed roads across the region, leading to often lengthy detours. Because of the high water, there were numerous day and nighttime restrictions to barge traffic. Hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland were flooded. Crops were late getting planted.