Floodwaters from last weekend’s rains impacted cities up and down the Mississippi River leading mayors in those cities to once again ask federal lawmakers to help protect the river.
Storms killed 20 in the South and the Midwest this past weekend. Tornadoes flattened homes, and floodwaters rose into numerous communities along the Mississippi River. No major damage was reported here, though the storms brought several inches of rain to Memphis on Sunday.
Mayors along the riverfront have joined efforts to respond to the floodwaters. Those mayors, part of a group called the Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative (MRCTI), said they are watching the skies as more rain is predicted for the area and once again urged federal officials to help them shore up the river for major disasters.
“We’re now living in a world of climate extremes, and the Mississippi River is a good example of that,” says Alton, Illinois Mayor Brent Walker. “We don’t just get normal spring rains, we get huge, loaded storms. We don’t just get patterns of mild weather, we get above-normal heat coupled with long dry periods that dip us into drought.”
Mayors involved with MRCTI presented a plan to federal lawmakers in March to help build up the river to protect their cities. The main element of the plan was to ask lawmakers to continue to support an already-existing program for pre-disaster planning and building infrastructure. That plan would create 100,000 jobs and generate $24 billion in economic impact, the mayors said.
“Projects such as restoring wetlands and marshes like Mayor [Tom] Thompson is in Grafton [Illinois], installing riverfront parks like we have here in Davenport [Iowa], creating retention lakes like Mayor [Jay] Hollowell is in Helena [Arkansas] are all valuable resilience efforts,” says Davenport Mayor Frank Klipsch. “Bottom line, resilience work protects jobs, secures our economy, and enhances both the built and natural infrastructure.”
