ST. LOUIS (AP) — When the Missouri River leaped out of its banks in 1993, the floodwaters were merciless.
They damaged nearly every levee along the swollen channel in Missouri and inundated thousands of homes, farms and businesses. But the disaster also prompted a massive effort to rebuild floodwalls and relocate houses to higher ground.
Now that the river is rising again, many communities in its path hope those improvements will pay off — either by holding back the water or at least minimizing the damage to property and livelihoods.
The Army Corps of Engineers says most of those levees were rebuilt to the same levels as before 1993. That could leave them susceptible to being overtopped again. But corps officials hope the rebuilt levees can hold up better against leaks and collapses.
