MISSOURI - Anyone who lived through the 1993 Midwest floods will never forget them. Of the nine states affected by flooding during the spring and summer of 1993, Missouri was the hardest hit, with damages totaling $3 billion. The stench of waterlogged trash and rotting food lingered in towns for weeks and even months.
The Missouri floods of 1993 ruined more cropland, destroyed more residences and businesses, and cost taxpayers more money than any other flood in the state's long history of flooding. For the thousands of Missourians who lost their homes, businesses, and everything they cherished, the floods were a living nightmare. But thankfully for many, it has not been a recurring nightmare.
Since 1993, FEMA and Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) have partnered with local governments to help thousands of willing homeowners move out of the floodplain. The people profiled in this report are just a few of the countless success stories from the Missouri Buyout Program. Devastated by the floods of 1993 and 1995, these people and communities took seriously the opportunity to move out of harm's way.
People across the state of Missouri took pride in taking responsibility for the safety of their families, homes and businesses. In the process, they spared taxpayers the expense of additional federal disaster assistance, which they no longer need to weather the storms.
Since 1993, FEMA has provided $54.9 million to the State of Missouri in Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding. Missouri has used the majority of these funds to acquire, relocate or elevate more than 4,800 properties.
When floodwaters returned to Missouri in May of 2002, these Missourians - and thousands like them - were spared the heartache of watching their homes and lives devastated by another disaster.