Reminds Me Of ’93

My entire immediate family lives in Omaha, NE.  No worries, they’re o.k. amidst the historic flooding disaster in the surrounding area.  The Banks brood prides itself on buying houses strategically, usually on high ground.

Of course, I have reached out to get in touch with them as I’ve watched the floods expand across the countryside.

As I got to talking about it with mom, dad, and sister, we all began remembering back to the last huge flood we had all lived through.

It is now referred to as “The Great Flood of ’93” by most people in the Midwest.

Through almost all of 1993, communities all along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers dealt with flooding.

At first it was just a nuisance, but slowly over time it became an incredible and costly disaster.  Financial losses totaled something around $15 billion (in 1993 dollars).  Catastrophic flooding hit Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, and Illinois.  More than 300,000 square miles flooded in that disaster.

I found this old local news video from KSDK in St. Louis to help paint the picture.

So, as I continued reminiscing with my family about the flood we had lived through so long ago, we all kinda came to the realization this current flood — may end up being just as bad, or perhaps worse.

As Lucinda and I have been reporting since last week, these most recent floods are a result of a virtual “perfect storm” of conditions.

First, a massive blizzard hit the upper reaches of the Missouri River and its main tributaries.  Not long after that, a dramatic swing in temperatures caused the just fallen snow to rapidly melt.

Further downstream the remnants of last week’s “bomb cyclone” spun out heavy rain storms, adding to the run-off.

Now, it appears there is a giant wave of river water, slowly working its way south and any additional rain will only help it grow.  Right now, we’re talking about Omaha, Nebraska and surrounding communities along with Iowa.  I suspect that’s just the start.

If I’m right, and this is as bad as the ’93 flood, I suspect we’ll be reporting on it most of the year.  Expect to hear about other disaster areas in St. Joseph, Missouri, Kansas City, and St. Louis before it’s over.

And from what I’ve heard forecasters say about this flood, it seems Memphis, Vicksburg, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans could get hit as well.

Naturally, I hope I’m wrong.  We’ll see.