MidWest floods of 2008

2008 Flood by numbers:

• Duration-………………………… 22 days (June 7th- July 1st)
• Number of States severely affected-………. 6
• Deaths-…………………………… 24
• Damages (building and infrastructure)-………. over $6 Billion
• Daily precipitation records broken-…..1,100
• Agricultural Damage- ………………$16 billion
• FEMA Aid- ………………………..3.5 million liters of water
  ……………………………………..200,000 meals
  ……………………………………..500,000 sandbags

How it began

• Upper Mississippi basin experienced extremely wet conditions throughout winter/spring 2007-2008
• Portions of the basin were recorded as the 2nd wettest in history
• Parts of Indiana and Wisconsin were the wettest on record!
• Bottom Line- A lot of water was running into streams, lakes and rivers!
• Image

When it rains, it pours...

• June 1st- weather system moves in (main flooding begins on the 7th)
• High pressure systems in the southwest and southeast
• Severe weather developed along border and stay through the first two weeks of June
• Edinburgh, IN- 10.71 inches of rain on June 7th- 1000 year flood
• Image
• By June 10th, 226 stream flow gauges reported flooding
• Extreme rainfall= Flash Flooding!
• Levee failure
• Dam failure

Levees - built to last?

• Levees fail by-
  • Being overtopped
  • Collapsing
• Over 2 dozen levees failed along the Mississippi River alone
• Levees didn’t do their job

Why did the levees fail?

• Volume of water is just too much
  • Rainfall
  • Urbanization
  • Agriculture practices
• Solutions-
  • Build the levees higher?
  • Find alternative agriculture methods
  • Restructure the landscape to include natural floodplains and wetlands
• Image

Delton Dam

• Lake Delton, Wisconsin
• 267 acre man made lake
• 3 homes destroyed, 2 others damaged
• Portion of a highway washed out
• Sewer lines ripped apart pouring raw sewage into the Wisconsin River.
• Image

Why did Delton Dam fail?

• Around the lake is primarily soft sandstone
  A 400 foot breach occurred on the north side of the dam
  Experts say the portion that was breached was not sandstone “100% sand,” silt deposits from river that was saturated by rain
• Image

Agricultural damage

• Iowa: $4 billion
• Illinois $1.3 billion
• Missouri: $900 million
• Indiana: $500 million
• Nebraska: $500 million
• Various areas: $1 billion

Consequences of agriculyural damage

• Elevated levels of pesticides, metals and other contaminates that must be regulated by FDA
• The cost of corn rose to $8 a bushel by the end of June, the first time ever
• Adding to the global food crisis

Overall Economic Impact

• Loss of private property
• Agricultural Damage
• Businesses
• Whole towns
  • Cedar Rapids, Iowa
  • 100 blocks of downtown were entirely flooded.

Government Policy on...

• Levee/Dam Infrastructure
• Damages
• Private property relief
• Towns and Businesses
• Agricultural System

Who is responsible for levees?

• No set standards for levees
  • Ownership, maintenance, inspection
• After 1993 floods- Clinton Committee
• No real changes made
• Post-Katrina- Congress Bill
• No funding provided

Delton Dam Safety

• Legal Action taken against village: Negligence
• May file a claim against Department of Natural Resources
  • Mismanagement of the water levels (Oct. 7)

Private Property Damage

• FEMA
• Individuals and Household Programs
  • Temporary housing, repair, replacement
• Other Needs Assistance
  • Personal, medical, dental, funeral, transportation etc.
• Mixed reviews of effectiveness among victims
• 90-10 split: FEMA helps with 90%, state covers the other 10%

Assistance to Businesses and Towns

• FEMA
  • Public Assistance Grant Program
    • Debris removal, repair, restoration, replacement of damaged areas
  • 75%-25% split- with state
• Congress passed a bill $1.8 billion due to President Bush’s request

Help for Farmers

• $1.3 billion in aid from the Agriculture Department
• Expected to total at $5 billion for the year, the most in history
• Emergency Watershed Protection Program
  • $225 million to pay for restoration projects in Iowa alone
• Various Risk Management Services

Other Organizations helping with relief

• Red Cross
  • Disaster Relief Fund-Gone!
    • Loans
  • Donations by Wal-Mart, Blue Shield, Blue Cross, Monsanto, Kohl’s, John Deere, individuals, etc.

A look into an uncertain future

• Could this be a pattern in the Midwest?
• Is disaster relief becoming more efficient and effective?