The rain started at the very end of 2015.
By Jan. 1, the rivers were just cresting, overflowing the banks of the Mississippi, Missouri and Meramec Rivers. The floods caused more than 20 deaths, forced hundreds of people from their homes and closed major interstate highways. President Barack Obama declared the region a state of emergency which provided funds to help the thousands of people impacted by the floods.
St. Louis Public Radio's coverage of the floods of 2016 included newscasts, feature-length stories and spot news. We provided regular updates to listeners about managing the logistics of a flooded region, but we also told the stories of the individuals and towns damaged by the deluge. As the waters receded, we followed people working to rebuild their towns. We looked into how rivers could breach their levies. We asked why some towns were hard hit and others close by weren't. We also followed up a year later to check in on recovery efforts.
