FLOOD BUYOUT REUNION IS TIME TO REMEMBER

Much has been said about the devastating Mississippi River flood of 1993, but the real stories of the flood and many before it were told at a recent reunion of Cape Girardeans who had had enough: They sold their homes and moved out of the river's floodplain.

Many of the 94 property owners who sold their property through the city's flood buyout program over the past five years gathered for a fish-fry reunion that brought back many pleasant memories of years in homes that no longer exist. But it also served as a reminder of the many years they had to fight the river until the river won and the horrendous conditions that existed in their homes when the water finally receded and they could return home.

It was an unusual kind of reunion and a good idea to bring all of them together to share stories of what it was like living at the mercy of the Mississippi. Those days are over, but the memories will live on.