Report Exposes Impact of Persistent Flooding Along Mississippi River

Report Exposes Impact , of Persistent Flooding , Along Mississippi River.
'The Independent' reports that persistent
flooding along the Mississippi River has
pushed people out of their homes at a 30%
higher rate than the United States as a whole.
The Associated Press released data from
First Street, a risk analysis firm, showing the
impact of flooding on hard-hit communities. .
Dean Klinkenberg, who writes guidebooks and
histories of local Mississippi communities, warns
flooding has slowly chipped away at river culture. .
In 1970, West Alton, Missouri, had
a population of nearly 4,000 people. .
Following major floods in 1973,
1993 and 2019, the town now has
less than 400 people living there.
All three of the town's churches are now gone.
The remaining homes have had to be elevated
to try and protect them from future floods.
According to the data, people tend to
move to a safer place nearby, however, others
choose to leave communities all together. .
The data showed that older residents are more
likely to remain, while in some communities, even
this figure was constrained by high flood risk.
Some riverside towns have benefited
from the Clean Water Act of 1972,
which improved rivers and streams.
Since then, parks were established on
cleaned-up industrial areas, bringing in
more tourists and attracting business.