Massive Floods Strike U.S. Midwest--Again [News]
Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - 10:07
in Earth & Climate
The cities along the Mississippi River and its tributaries in Iowa are the latest victims of heavy rains in early June, with cities farther down the river expected to face the cresting waters in coming days. The scale of devastation may match the $15 billion in damages wrought by a similar flood in 1993, when waters crested at nearly 50 feet in St. Louis. Already, thousands of residents have had to be evacuated and thousands of homes have been ruined--though a federal government program to purchase low-lying lands in the wake of the 1993 flood has mitigated some of the damage this time. [More]