Photos of the Missouri Floods

Rivers in Missouri and Illinois reached record levels last week after a period of heavy rain between 23 and 28 December 2015. Flooding along the Mississippi, Meramec and Bourbeuse rivers has caused damage to thousands of homes, as well as businesses and public infrastructure.

The Meramec River at Valley Park near St Louis reached record levels of 44.1 feet on 31 December 2015. On 01 January the Mississippi reached 48.6 feet at Cape Girardeau, beating the previous high of 48.49 feet set in August 1993 during the “Great Floods” of that year.

The Mississippi River reached record levels of 47.74 feet at Thebes on 02 January 2015. The previous high was 45.91 feet set in May 1995. See more about the river levels here.

On 02 January 2016, President Obama approved a federal emergency declaration to speed up debris removal and relieve the strain of response and recovery costs in the St. Louis region.

At least 14 people are thought to have died as a result of flooding in Missouri from late December 2015 to early January 2016. A further 8 deaths have been reported in Illinois.

The Great Flood of 1993

Many believe the recent floods are worse than the catastrophic flooding of 1993, which occurred along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and their tributaries, from April to October 1993.

That year 32 people died as a result of the flooding and 9 states were affected; Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

As river levels now rise in southern states of Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee, the 2015 to 2016 winter floods may well be far from over.