Summary of the Great Mississippi River flood of 1927
The Great Mississippi River flood occurred back in 1927 within the lower River valley. The Mississippi flooding covered a vast space of land of about 70, 000 km square. Therefore, affecting the economy and living conditions of the citizens around River Mississippi. The federal government believed that the event is human-caused as a result of deforestations and cultivation around the Mississippi River. The government of the United States in the quest to prevent further flooding established floodways along the River Valley to curb future occurrences of flood in the region. The federal government introduced levees along the Riverbank and the lower valley to control the flow of water within the area.
The flooding event affected about 94% of the citizens and investors within Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Flooding activity contributed to a significant loss to the African Americans living within Mississippi by displacing about 200, 000 from their homes along the lower River valley. The situation enhanced people to settle in relief camps for an extended period and forcing them to migrate to the northern industrialized regions. Besides, the event affected the agricultural activities within the areas by interfering with the fertile soil moving many people to migrate to the Midwestern states that had developed an industrial economy for labor activities.
Measures to control flooding
The federal government ought to have established mass planting of trees along the river valley to create wetlands to slow down the effects of flowing River and climate change. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could have established barriers and permanent flood defenses along the Riverbanks to help curb the flood risks within the regions. The EPA should have restored River banks through establishing human-made human River bends to speed up the flow of water along the stream to reduce the impacts of flooding. The federal government should have introduced flooding warning systems within the regions to help people take action to move to raised lands or build homes above flood levels. The federal government could have introduced water storage regions such as building trenches along the river banks that are 675 meters or more to help control flood rates in areas around Mississippi.
Causes of the Great Mississippi River flood of 1927
Mississippi, in the United States of America during the year 1927, was prone to flood emergency. Floods are an ordinary human-made disaster, and more so, the leading human-made emergency fatality worldwide. Emergency risk of the catastrophic effect caused by flooding is significant given deforestation and daily increases of population proximity to river basin along the Mississippi regions. Consequently, in Mississippi, river flooding has been frequently caused by washed sediment into the River, making them narrow and shallow. As a result, the river volume of water decreases, thus leading to frequent flooding during heavy rains. According to research done by emergency management, the moment human being clear forest to open and expose fields such as; construction areas, farming areas, loin areas lead sediment into River through soil erosion.
Consequently, the flood in Mississippi did not only caused an immediate effect but also long lasting results. For instance, floods affected human health by causing physical injury, death, the transmission of diseases, loss of morale, and even malnutrition as well. Similarly, in Mississippi, flood greatly affected the Agriculture sector by destroying livelihood, homes, crops, and infrastructure. The human practices such as steep cultivation along the Mississippi valley influenced massive flooding since they cut trees and assume reforestation along the River Valley.