Great Flood of 1993 was one of the most destructive natural disasters in United States history. From May to September 1993, heavy rainfall and melted snow caused massive flooding in the upper Midwest. The flood caused about $15 billion to $20 billion in damage to homes, farms, and businesses. The flood and events related to it also killed about 50 people and left tens of thousands homeless. Affected states included Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
For much of the spring and summer of 1993, steady, heavy rains fell on many Midwestern states. By early June, many streams were filled to capacity. Soils were saturated. Communities along rivers throughout the Midwest worked to shore up levees (flood barriers), often with thousands of sandbags. Despite these efforts, more than 1,000 levees failed or were topped during the flood. The Mississippi and Missouri rivers and many smaller rivers overflowed their banks. The flooding destroyed about 10,000 homes and damaged at least 15 million acres (6 million hectares) of farmland. Transportation networks––from river barge traffic to bridges and railways––were also severely affected by the floods. A number of water treatment plants were destroyed.
In the aftermath of the flood, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers worked to rebuild damaged levees. Local governments evaluated laws concerning building in flood-prone areas. In 1994, Congress passed a law limiting federal government-backed loans for property owners who build in flood zones without flood insurance.
