There is no question that there is urgent need in Missouri for better flood control plans. Being the Representative of a Congressional District that has thousands of miles of shoreline thanks to the Mississippi River, Missouri River, and Lake of the Ozarks, I am always looking for ways we can improve Missouri’s flooding plan of action. Heavy rain and snowfall this year made for one of the worst years of flooding in our state’s history. Entire towns were debilitated; farms, businesses, town halls, churches, and homes were all hit by devastating floods that brought normal life to a halt for many Missourians.

The Third District endured its fair share of flooding this year. Much of our ag industry in the Upper Mississippi River Basin was hit hard – fields that remained flooded for long periods of time were obviously unable to be farmed. In Lincoln County, over 22,000 acres of farmland couldn’t be planted. And in St. Charles County there was more than double that number with over 47,000 acres of farmland that couldn’t be used. This is not just farmland, but people’s entire livelihoods. Farming is how they put food on their table, and the crops they raise make up the food we put on ours. This year’s flooding was so bad that President Trump approved not just one, but two major disaster declarations to provide federal assistance to Missourians hit by severe storms and flooding.

This week I introduced a bill that will put a better flood control plan in place for the Upper Mississippi River Basin. After an especially devastating flood year, we were reminded once again that we must ensure there is a more effective strategy in place to protect Missourians. The Upper Mississippi River Flood Control Act will make much needed improvements to current flood protocols and ensure Missouri farms and communities are provided with the necessary relief. Specifically, it requires the Secretary of the Army Corps of Engineers to submit a flood plan to Congress by January 2021 to address both water and land resource problems in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. The bill also forces the Corps to work with local landowners, agriculture groups, government officials, and other stakeholders while developing that plan. This helps to ensure the plan is not developed to satisfy the Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C., but to meet the needs of those of us who live here and endure the cost of failed flood policy.  It is long past time Missouri’s flood plans be created by Missourians.  

Flooding is an unfortunate fact of life for communities adjacent to rivers and lakes.  However, we don’t have to sit idly by while our homes, roads, bridges, and land continually get devastated by water damage.  An effective flood plan, especially in this high-risk area, will better equip us to prevent future floods and expedite aid, recovery, and rebuilding in the aftermath of those we cannot. My bill goes a long way in helping us achieve that goal.