Missouri Buyout Program

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 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, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (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.