Report Exposes Impact , of Persistent Flooding , Along Mississippi River.<br />'The Independent' reports that persistent <br />flooding along the Mississippi River has <br />pushed people out of their homes at a 30% <br />higher rate than the United States as a whole.<br />The Associated Press released data from <br />First Street, a risk analysis firm, showing the <br />impact of flooding on hard-hit communities. .<br />Dean Klinkenberg, who writes guidebooks and <br />histories of local Mississippi communities, warns <br />flooding has slowly chipped away at river culture. .<br />In 1970, West Alton, Missouri, had <br />a population of nearly 4,000 people. .<br />Following major floods in 1973, <br />1993 and 2019, the town now has <br />less than 400 people living there.<br />All three of the town's churches are now gone. <br />The remaining homes have had to be elevated<br />to try and protect them from future floods.<br />According to the data, people tend to <br />move to a safer place nearby, however, others <br />choose to leave communities all together. .<br />The data showed that older residents are more <br />likely to remain, while in some communities, even <br />this figure was constrained by high flood risk.<br />Some riverside towns have benefited <br />from the Clean Water Act of 1972, <br />which improved rivers and streams.<br />Since then, parks were established on <br />cleaned-up industrial areas, bringing in <br />more tourists and attracting business.
