The '93 flood

Twenty years ago this summer, Southeast Missouri endured the biggest natural disaster in a generation.

The Great Flood of 1993 was a monster that wouldn't go away. The river, relentless and heavy, remained above flood stage virtually all summer. On Aug. 8, 1993, it reached a peak of 48.49 feet, 16 feet above the 32-foot flood stage. It remained above flood stage for 126 consecutive days. The flood affected about 300 people and more than 100 buildings in Cape Girardeau.

It was a long, long fight. Several levees, which soaked all summer long, broke. Water pumps ran nonstop. Sandbag brigades worked through the night on several occasions. The stagnant water left a sour stench.

Because of the 1993 flood and another major flood two years later, Cape Girardeau flood victims participated in a buyout program. Cape Girardeau doesn't look the same today. Several homes were removed from the Red Star area of Cape Girardeau and the area of town known as Smelterville no longer exists. Several property owners in Commerce threw up the white flag as well.

The flood changed the course of the river and the towns around it. The buyouts proved wise. The river has reached flood stage in 18 of the last 21 years, including near-record crests in 2002, 2008 and 2011. Those floods would have been major disasters in Cape Girardeau had the buyouts not occurred. Dutchtown now is the center of attention during floods, as homeowners there have seen one flood fight after another.

The battle against flooding still exists, of course. To this day, there are major political disputes over how the river should be managed (to the extent it can be), and whom or what should be protected by levees. There are human and natural habitat consequences to these decisions.

The Southeast Missourian has been in existence for 109 years, and we take our regional history seriously here. The 1993 flood ranks among the worst disasters on record in our region. From time to time, it's healthy to take a look back on the events that changed the landscape and culture of our region.

The Great Flood of 1993 packed a wallop. But the area is much better equipped for flooding than it was 20 years ago.