FLOOD09407

• County: Statewide
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: Sharing the Challenge: Floodplain Management into the 21st Century
• Date: 6/1/1994
• Prepared For: Administration Floodplain Management Task Force
• Prepared By: Interagency Floodplain Mmanagement Review Committee
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Community File

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DAMAGES REPORTED

Estimates of total damages in the Midwest from weather
events during 1993 range between $12 billion and $16
billiou. Over half of these were agricultutal damages to
crops, livestock, fields, levees, farm buildings. and
equipment. The remaining damages were primarily to
residences, businesses, public facilities, or
transportation. Much of the agricultural damage
occurred in upland areas as the result of wet fields and
a short growing season rather than inundation by
floodwaters. Similarly a portion of residential and
business damages was caused by basement flooding due
to high groundwater and sewer back -up in areas outside
the floodplain.

The NWS has estimated damages for the Midwest flood
at $15.7 billion based on information provided by its
field offices. to This estimate was based on totals by
state, but did not include breakdowns of damage by

THE FLOOD OF 1993

type. In August 1993 The New York Times published
an estimate of nearly $12 billion in damages based on
information it obtained from state and federal officials. 1\
State and federal officials could not assess all damages
until floodwaters receded, and the full extent of
agricultural damages was not known until after the end
of the growing season. Most of the affected states have
updated their damage estimates. and the total ranges
from $12 billion to $13 billion. The available estimates
are summarized in Table l. 3,

The Review Committee developed an estimate of flood
damages using federal payments and making
assumptions as to what percentage of damages those
payments represent. This information indicates that
total damages were more than $12 billion with as much
as $4 billion to $5 billion of that total being agricultural
damages in upland areas,

Table 1.3

Damage Estimates for 1993 Midwest Flooding, in Millions of Dollars.

NWS State State NY Times NY Times
State Totals Totals Agriculture Totals Agricultu!'7"
l11inois 2,640 1,000-2,000 565 1,535 605
Iowa 5,740 > 3,400 oa 2.200 1,200
Kansas 551 >500 441 574 434
Minnesota 964 1,700 1,500 1,023 800
Missouri 3.430 3,000 1,790 3,000 1,800
Nebraska 295 oa oa 347 292
North Dakota 414 600 500 1.500 705
South Dakota 763 596 572 595 595
.
Wisconsin 904 930 800 909 800
Total 15,701 12,000-13,000 oa 11,683 7,231

SourcesJ2
Note: 'na~ means dala not available.

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