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Guest Commentary: May 9, 2001
Flood Protection in the U.S.
Sending a Message and Saving Lives
The Honorable Jo Ann Emerson
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As noted in a recent PBS episode of the American Experience called the Fatal Flood (referring to the flood of 1927), "after weeks of incessant rains, the Mississippi River went on a rampage from Cairo, Illinois to New Orleans, inundating hundreds of towns, killing as many as a thousand people and leaving a million homeless."
We have seen those images this week in the news as the Mighty Mississippi ripped through towns, wreaking havoc and destruction in Minnesota and Wisconsin, damaging towns, destroying homes and forcing evacuations along the River's path. Even my colleague, Representative Ron Kind of Wisconsin, was forced to evacuate his home on French Island by paddling his family to safety in a canoe.
Today's floods serve all too well as a reminder of the disastrous floods of 1993 and 1995 that decimated areas along the eastern portion of Missouri and throughout the upper Midwest. Here in the Eighth District, where more land is bordered by the Mississippi River than any other Congressional district in the nation, it is especially sobering. After all, although the river is a wonderful resource that provides us with recreational and economic development opportunities, it is the same river that can be relentless when not maintained so that we and the river can coexist in more peaceful harmony.
 Achieving that peaceful coexistence has always been a challenge. The previous Administration, instead of protecting the interests of the people, put the pallid sturgeon and the environmental extremists (the same groups who have listed the Missouri River on the top of the most endangered river list and want to see some barge traffic cease entirely) ahead of those who live and make their living along the river.
Unfortunately, after reviewing the latest federal budget, it appears that this is a battle that is doomed to be repeated. The current Administration proposed a 14% reduction in funding for the Corps of Engineers. That much-needed funding is critical to ensuring that flood protection, navigation, port authority and drainage projects are fulfilled so that lives are saved and the economic livelihood of towns up and down the river are preserved.
Ken Kling, chief hydrologist at the National Weather Service in Kansas City, suggested, "especially if you look downstream, there will be no short resolution to the flood problems" [Washington Post, April 19, 2001]. As President of the Mississippi Valley Flood Control Association, a nine-state association representing the interests of flood protection along the Mississippi River, those words serve as a call to action to educate the Administration of the importance of funding these critical flood protection projects. The organization, which was brought about by the Flood Control Act of 1928, has made flood protection projects, levee and tributary construction and maintenance a focus in Congress and have been actively involved in promoting dozens of local projects in our region.
That educational process is one with a long history. As noted in John Barry's Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America, human behavior and actions can be more destructive than the river itself. In Congress, you can be assured that those of us who represent and live on our rivers will watch closely to ensure that a reasonable and balanced behavior will be the approach taken so that flood protection projects continue to save lives and communities.
Note: This column by Rep. Emerson first appeared on her House web site, April 20, 2001.
 How to contact Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO)
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