So, what towns/areas are free from flood worries? (St. Louis: insurance, houses)

[finzup2]

I was looking at several communities and dang, it seems like most of the area is a flood trap. ACK....which areas would be driest and which would be submerged with another huge flood?

[djkkt6]

what?

[STLCardsBlues1989]

I think some of the southwestern suburbs (like Eureka) had some flooding last year. I'm not sure which are most flood prone. Seems like when there was that flooding last year St. Louis City didn't really have any problem.

[finzup2]

Thanks,,, our media was inundated with St. Louis area flood stories and they terrified me. Here are some samples from years' past based on a quick google search.

THE MIDWEST FLOODING; Dry St. Louis Is Furiously Battling a Flood of Misperception - The New York Times
Flood forecast up in St.Louis; locks to shut early | Reuters
EAST ST. LOUIS, Illinois (Reuters) - The worst Midwest flooding in 15 years eased on ... - Worldnews.com

[STLCardsBlues1989]

You realize that first article is from 1993 right? It does give some good info, though. I think 1993 was much worse than 2008. The 1993 flood affected areas down here. Some houses had 6 feet of water in them in 1993. I don't remember it, though. I was 3.

From my understanding, the floods last year didn't really affect most of St. Louis.

St. Louis Slideshows - Missouri flood waters cresting on March 22, 2008
Gateway Pundit: Flood Waters Come Rolling Into St. Louis
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/21/us/21floodcnd.html

Last year during the flooding there was a story about Cam Janssen helping out flood victims at his hometown of Eureka.

Obviously, flooding can happen anywhere in theory. But the city of St. Louis is probably safe.

[aragx6]

There is a map somewhere of all the areas under water in 1993 -- if you don't live there, the odds of you ever being flooded are incredibly small as that was what they like to call a 500-year flood -- which really just means the worst one you'll ever see.

Oh here's a great article that has a map of the '93 flood included too.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/15/us/15flood.html

[OA 5599]

Originally Posted by aragx6

if you don't live there, the odds of you ever being flooded are incredibly small as that was what they like to call a 500-year flood -- which really just means the worst one you'll ever see.

Actually, a 500-year flood means a flood that has a 1/500 (or 0.02%) chance of occurring every year. It is possible for 500 year floods to occur twice within a decade, not at all over 1000 years, or even one year after another - although it is very unlikely. Nature doesn't always produce floods in nicely-spaced intervals, especially with climate change currently happening, although it will be very nice if it did.

But yes, if you don't live in an area flooded during 1993, the chances of being flooded again are very, very small. That map in the NY Times article is a good one. Basically, avoid all low-lying areas near the rivers in the area. Don't buy a house with a creek in the backyard. Avoid areas protected by levees. While floods can be very damaging natural disasters, they are unique as if you don't build in floodplains, you simply can't be directly affected by a flood.

[finzup2]

Awesome...thank you for helping me understand this. I live in Tornado country now; it's always something, isn't it?

[STL Aviator]

Unfortunately, construction of houses on floodplains, often with government subsidy, is very popular in the suburbs. If you want to avoid floodplains live in an older area. People were apparently smarter at one point in time and recognized that building in areas prone to flooding is an absurdly stupid idea. Look at what happened to NOLA in the hurricane. The French Quarter was in decent shape because it was built on somewhat higher ground. Many areas built later fared much more poorly. Around St. Louis, we have seen way to much federal and state money directed to building levees, subsidizing flood insurance, and providing incentives to builders who construct homes and shopping centers for which there was no need in the first place.

[kctransplant70]

There are a lot of areas in Jefferson county that are on VERY high ground because it is SO hilly. I live off of old hiway 21 just a little south of hiway 141. The chances of my going underwater are exactly ZERO. I live on top of a ridge, and it's about 200 feet to the bottom. It's not so much fun when the roads are icy, but it's a beautiful view with absolutely no need for flood insurance. Just be sure to live at the top of a hill, NOT the bottom.