Restore the levee

Rebuilding after a natural disaster can be a daunting undertaking. But when a natural problem, such as this year's high water marks and flooding, is compounded by a man-made decision, folks feel a greater angst.

This is the case after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers made the decision to breach Birds Point Levee in Mississippi County to prevent further destruction to neighboring towns.

Many have argued that the decision was the wrong one. That is a moot point now. What is relevant is the rebuilding effort.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced recently that it only plans to rebuild the Birds Point Levee to 51 feet. This is 11 feet short of what the levee height was before the breach.

Blake Hurst, president of Missouri Farm Bureau, wrote this week in a column published in this newspaper that the Mississippi River has topped 51 feet in 12 out of the last 20 years.

Our question is why rebuild so low? Why put farmers, and subsequently our local economy, in jeopardy by not fully restoring the levee? A popular bumper sticker summarizes it well: No farmers, no food.

Southeast Missouri farmers whose land has been flooded this year have been through enough. It's time for the federal government to restore the levee to its original height and get our farmers back to work.