8/10/93
By: Lisa Hoskins
Age 16, Route 1, Hull, Ill.

1993, the year the mighty Mississippi took its toll, destroying hundreds of homes and killing 13 people in Missouri alone.

On July 25, after months of hard work, the sandbagging stopped as the Sny levee broke, wiping out 44,000 acres of land and destroying small businesses and farmland, and making many people homeless.

The break occurred 1 and 1/2 miles north of the Bungee grain terminal, located in East Hannibal. It was in a familiar place, known as the pole and barn area.

Before the break, most of the levee workers had agreed that the pole and barn area was the weakest spot within the 52-mile stretch, and if it were to break, this would be the spot it would occur.

Now, two weeks after, the reality is beginning to set in. People are getting houses to rent and to buy, while others are waiting patiently for the water to recede, so they can clean up and start all over again.

In East Hannibal, like most other towns, houses will be destroyed. Neighbors who have become friends over the many years will be moving away, and the place you have always called home will no longer be able to accept the name.

The flooding is over with, and the water is slowly receding. There are still a lot of concerns to be dealt with.

Two of the most important are finding animals stricken by the flood and getting food to feed them. Some animals made it safely to dry land, while others are still on rooftops and in trees, waiting to be rescued. These animals would be hopeless without the help of the caring people, willing to risk their lives to get in the water to feed them.

For the animals that are in a state of shock and won't come down, people have resorted to cutting milk cartons in half, filling them with food and then hanging them in various trees.

Most animals will smell and come down to a lower branch, where it can be caught and taken to safety. Attempts will be made to save the remaining animals. Most will be saved, leaving few without hope.

Another concern is food for the animals. At first, getting the food was expensive. Now people are donating food and/or money to the Humane Society or the Salvation Army. Then the food is in circulation from there.

In a disaster, most generally the animals are somewhat forgotten. Luckily, for the animals of the flood, this time they weren't.