Mississippi Levees Break

In response to large-scale flooding in the Midwest during June 2008, towns along the Mississippi River scrambled to build levees against the rising floodwaters. As rivers continued to swell, many levees gave way under the pressure.¹

Fast Facts

1. June 27, 2008: Muskrat holes cause a levee in Lincoln County, Missouri, to fail²
2. June 20, 2008: Water levels maintained at 37 feet in St. Louis, falling short of 1993 records.³
3. June 19, 2008: 20 levees breached and 30 more threatened.
4. June 18, 2008: Levee breached near Meyer, Illinois⁴
5. June 17, 2008: Levee broke near towns of Burlington, Iowa and Gulfport, Illinois
6. Levee break forced the closure of the Great River Bridge, which joins the two communities⁵
7. Several residents rescued from rising floodwaters⁵
8. Millions of sandbags being placed to try and shore up levees¹
9. Officials said there was "no way to tell" if the 27 levees at risk would break¹
10. The Mississippi River was expected to crest later in the week⁴
11. Towns at high risk for record flooding: Hannibal, Missouri, and Quincy, Illinois⁶
12. Moderate flooding possible in St. Louis, Missouri, and Alton, Illinois⁶
13. Parts of the Midwest hit by major floods in June 2008
14. Damage estimates from Midwest flooding: more than $1.5 billion⁴

Levee Breaks

On June 17, 2008, a levee break near the town of Gulfport, Illinois, left thousands of acres of land under water and forced the closure of the Great River Bridge between Gulfport and Burlington, Iowa. ⁵ Several residents had to be evacuated from the area by boat and by helicopter.¹

By June 20, 14 levees had been breached in Missouri alone. In St. Louis, the waterline was at 37.03 feet—lower than expected—but 40 miles upstream in rural Winfield, only 25 of the town's 700 residents remained in their homes.³ The three levees breached in Winfield were reported to have eased conditions elsewhere along the river. As the water drained back to the Mississippi, however, levels were expected to rise again.³

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