Latest Flood Stories

Flood damage in the Midwest, estimated at $8 billion, will likely ripple through the U.S. economy and food-supply, economists said. The American Farm Bureau Federation estimated 5 million acres of crops have been destroyed due to recent flooding. Homes, farm equipment and grain storage has been destroyed. But, the ripple effect goes from the agricultural and food-supply chain all the way to the retail consumer, where it'll hit Joe Smith's wallet, economist Jordan Rizzuto of the Storm...

By Chicago Tribune Jul. 2--The Chicago Park District issued a swim ban Wednesday afternoon in response to a National Weather Service seiche warning, officials said. The warning was issued after a massive storm front currently over the lower peninsula of Michigan crossed Lake Michigan in the early afternoon Wednesday and piled the water toward the Michigan shore as it traveled east. Water flooded the harbor in St. Joseph, Mich., and crept more than 15 feet across the sand there, said NWS...

The latest string of floods to hit the U.S. Midwest is providing troublesome clues to conservation experts who claim that many forecasts fail to consider the affects global warming on weather patterns."Although no single weather event can be attributed to global warming, it's critical to understand that a warming climate is supplying the very conditions that fuel these kinds of weather events," said Amanda Staudt, a climate scientist with the National Wildlife Federation.Floods of...

By Lindsay Whitehurst, The Salt Lake Tribune Jun. 30--Utahns sick of rain when the weather man predicts sun might soon be able to do something about it. The Utah Climate Center is looking for volunteers to measure rain and snowfall in their backyards. The data they collect will be used to fine-tune weather prediction models. "We have a lack of data in our state and throughout the country," said Esmaiel Malek, coordinator for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Program. "We do...

By Betsy Taylor Associated Press WINFIELD, Mo. -- A makeshift barrier holding back the Mississippi River failed early Saturday, swamping the low-lying part of the small community of Winfield and ending a valiant but ultimately doomed battle against the surging river. About 300 National Guard soldiers worked nearly 20 hours to build a levee around a cluster of 100 homes in the flood plain after the river ripped through another levee there early Friday. Officials hoped the barrier would keep...

By Cheryl Wittenauer Associated Press FOLEY, Mo. -- Amid the battle to hold back the swollen Mississippi River, some towns in northeastern Missouri and Illinois got an unwelcome surprise Saturday as river levels rose higher than projected. Recent levee breaks north of Canton, not far from the Iowa line, had allowed the river level to drop there and at other towns far north of St. Louis. Officials knew the water would rise again to crests expected during the weekend, and while the amount of...

By Tim Bryant and Terry Hillig, St. Louis Post-Dispatch Jun. 22--FOLEY--Tim Johnson, shirtless and deeply tanned, looked out over his riverfront property, which was under several feet of the flooding Mississippi River. Obscured by trees standing in algae-covered floodwater was his house, perched on concrete piers to try to keep it above harm. But record flooding in 1993 sent the river into his home, and the Mississippi returned last week. "I had three feet of water in my house in 1993,...

By Deb Gruver, The Wichita Eagle, Kan. Jun. 22--As Iowa and Illinois scurry to save homes and businesses from historic flooding, Wichita's public works director is warning that the Big Ditch was never meant to handle the kind of floods that have swamped parts of the Midwest. At stake is $6.7 billion in property in the area protected by the Big Ditch, roughly from I-235 to Hillside, as well as Haysville. The flood control project completed in 1959 for $20 million was designed to protect...

Severe flooding in the midwestern United States is expected to impact global food prices, agriculturists say. The floods have left 24 people dead and caused billions of dollars in damages since they started in late May, The Daily Telegraph reported Saturday. If the floods don't go away, nothing will get planted and it's getting very late. Anything that's growing is stunted. Normally it's chest-high at this time of year. Now, it's 5 inches, Iowa farmer Donnie Miller said of his corn and soy...

By Diane Heldt, The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa Jun. 21--IOWA CITY -- The cleanup and recovery after a flood can be more dangerous than the flooding, with greater risk for injury and infection as people deal with stagnant water, mold and air and water quality problems, University of Iowa public health experts said Friday. As a flooding disaster like that in Eastern Iowa enters the more protracted "stage two" -- cleanup and recovery -- displaced residents and others must protect themselves...