TRIAL BY WATER, PART II?

The rain falls, the river rises and the comments carry a familiar ring: Is it starting again? In an unwelcome bit of deja vu, the Mississippi River is swelling beyond normal springtime ascent, its elevation above flood stage growing into double digits. It is a discomforting development for people not only living in the flood plains of the river and its tributaries, but all residents of the region in 1993 who saw high waters take a toll on commerce, property, lives and livelihood. We are largely helpless in the face of nature's force, but our hopes are in place that this summer is not a repeat of the last one.

The people of Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois could gladly live the balance of their lives without seeing another sandbag. During last summer's flood, which hit a record crest of 48.4 feet at Cape Girardeau, they saw enough to last a lifetime. Now, heavy rains in the northern reaches of the Mississippi and Missouri river valleys have sent water into areas downstream still recovering from last year's devastation. In Cape Girardeau, residents outside the protection of the city's floodwall and levee system were beginning to enjoy normal lives, but water again threatens their property. Levees that did not withstand the deluge of 1993 and are in the process of being reconstructed have been tested sooner than anticipated. One levee more than 90 percent completed near Miller City, Ill., was washed out for the second time in nine months last week.

In addition to the residential anguish caused by the flood, business was restrained throughout the affected states last year. A great deal of agricultural land was taken out of commission, having a direct impact on the ability of farmers to earn a living and beginning a ripple effect in the service sector that supports agriculture. Some businesses were closed because the high water got to them and their customers couldn't. And in an industry that usually suffers through summer months of low water, barge traffic was prohibited from Mississippi navigation for a long stretch. In July of 1993, 600,000 tons of cargo passed Cape Girardeau on barges; the previous July, 7.7 million tons went that same route.

The wild card in the current flood situation is the condition of the Ohio River, which intersects with the Mississippi at Cairo, about 30 miles to the south. In the worst of the Mississippi flooding a year ago, the Ohio remained a relatively stable waterway. This time around, the tributary is out of its banks and expected to crest at Cairo about 14 feet above flood stage. While the makings of 1993's historic flood are not precisely in place, the bloated Ohio could choke the flow of the Mississippi and create a condition that was not seen last year.

If a bright spot can be isolated from last year's river misfortune, it was the manner in which people responded to the hardships placed on the lives of their fellow citizens. It wasn't just organizations like the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army that shined, though they certainly did that. Rather, it was the ongoing generosity of individuals who filled sandbags, helped haul furniture, offered their homes as shelter and contributed money to ease the burden on those whose lives were in the water's way. Amid human tragedy, there was no small degree of human kindness. If we lament that the flood of 1994 will be little different from its predecessor, we can at least be assured the altruism of people in this region will not be washed away as the water rises.

In all ways, we sustain ourselves through the largess of nature and a higher power. We can do little to stop a flood. What we do when one arrives says a lot about the quality of people who live around us. We hope for the best now, but will do our best if high waters persist.