Event narrative (NOAA)
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers activated the New Madrid Floodway by detonating a levee at Birds Point. The intentional levee breach relieved pressure on levees along the lower Ohio River and portions of the Mississippi River. The blast that opened the 11,000-foot gap in the levee shattered windows in Mississippi County and rattled windows as far away as Paducah, Kentucky. The flash flood caused by the levee breach was anticipated for days, and evacuations had been completed beforehand. Over 130,000 acres of prime farmland were submerged. About 100 homes were flooded, forcing the evacuation of 300 residents. The tiny community of Pinhook was inundated, and no decision had been made by residents on whether to rebuild the community. A primary national insurer estimated private property loss
Other notable flash flood events in Missouri
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.