MEMORIES OF GREAT FLOOD REMAIN VIVID

The flood of 1993 took away Pauline Suttles' home, her independence and good health.

She tries not to dwell on that, however. Instead she talks about how she plans to spend her 80th birthday.

"I've been thinking about inviting my whole family to spend the day with me," said Suttles, who still is trying to adjust to the home she recently moved into.

"Last year at this time I didn't even have a home," she said. "When I had a slight stroke, I thought it was just too much for me. But I've been able to overcome some of that. Now I've got my independence back and I love it," Suttles added. "I'm in a better house, but some things you just don't replace, like pictures and life-long neighbors."

Suttles, who now lives on Big Bend Road, saw her home and many prized possessions at 1015 South Spanish swept away by the Mississippi River last year. The river reached its crest at Cape Girardeau one year ago today, at 48.49 feet -- nearly 20 feet over flood stage.

With no flood insurance, Suttles relied on funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to recover.

"I was living on social security and didn't really have enough money for flood insurance, so I had to do without," she said. "I've been through some tough times ever since I moved there in 1960, but I never thought the water would get that high."

The water not only damaged the floors but caused her doors to become so disfigured she was unable to close them. "I had to leave some of my things in the house and I wish I didn't because people came in and stole some things," she said. "You can replace furniture and even an entire home but you can't get back pictures or good memories."

Upon realizing that she would need to rely on her family, Suttles decided to stay with relatives. She moved three times before finding the house on Big Bend Road.

"I learned that even though people want to help out and give you a place to stay, one home is only good for one family and not two," she said.

Ersie Knapp can sympathize with Suttles' plight. Knapp was chased out of her home on 1121 N. Main by the flood of 1993.

"We lived in that home for 26 years," said Knapp. "It just always seemed like home to me. And then suddenly it was taken away. I go back there and look at it, but the house has been torn down and there aren't any of the old neighbors still living there, so it's hard to deal with."

Ersie and her husband Howard moved from North Main to South Ellis. "It's a better place, and it's on higher ground," she said. "But I'd still like to have back what was at North Main. You get used to the houses, the trees and the people on a certain street and then when it's taken away you feel like something important is missing. You never really appreciate it until it's gone."

The Knapps have witnessed more than one disaster in their lifetime. In 1949 their house was destroyed by a tornado that roared through Cape Girardeau.

The flood of 1993 forced the Knapps to move once again. "I hope I never have to go through that again," said Ersie Knapp. "I don't think I could survive another one like that."