130,000 acres of MO farmland being sunk to save an Il slum

[Two Thumbs]

Levee on Mississippi is broken to protect town - Weather - msnbc.com

Missouri officials opposed the possible breach, saying it could inundate 130,000 acres of farmland and crush the region's economy and environment by possibly covering the land under feet of sand and silt and rendering it useless.

The ruling by Alito, who handles emergency requests from Missouri and various other Midwest states, came the same day all but 20 to 30 families in 2,800-resident Cairo were ordered out of the city and away from the Ohio, which eclipsed its 74-year-old record height was expected to rise further.

I lived in Cairo [Kay-row] in the late 80's. It was a dying crap hole then and it's been on a steady decline.

We are saving a slum, that no one would miss, to destroy 130,000 acres of farmland, in a time of increasing food prices. That just makes no sense.

On top of that, Cairo has a sink hole about 150 yards from a river, near an old part of the town.

Can anyone tell me why they decided to save this place over MO?

 

[martybegan]

Levee on Mississippi is broken to protect town - Weather - msnbc.com

Missouri officials opposed the possible breach, saying it could inundate 130,000 acres of farmland and crush the region's economy and environment by possibly covering the land under feet of sand and silt and rendering it useless.

The ruling by Alito, who handles emergency requests from Missouri and various other Midwest states, came the same day all but 20 to 30 families in 2,800-resident Cairo were ordered out of the city and away from the Ohio, which eclipsed its 74-year-old record height was expected to rise further.

I lived in Cairo [Kay-row] in the late 80's. It was a dying crap hole then and it's been on a steady decline.

We are saving a slum, that no one would miss, to destroy 130,000 acres of farmland, in a time of increasing food prices. That just makes no sense.

On top of that, Cairo has a sink hole about 150 yards from a river, near an old part of the town.

Can anyone tell me why they decided to save this place over MO?

Its part of the flood control plan by the army corps of engineers. That farmland was designated an emergency flood plain. and they are seeing at least 50 year, maybe 100 year flood levels, and this stuff hasnt even hit the lower mississipi yet.

The farmland will recover, the silt will probably help rejuvinate the soil. Cities are much harder to clean, and result in much nastier overflow water being added to the flood.

130,000 acres is not much when you consider the total areable land in the US.

This is going to get worse when it hits the lower mississipi, they may have to open flood gates/blast levees they havent resorted to in decades.

 

[Claudette]

Doesn't make any more sense then ruining acres of farmland in CA over a damned little minnow.

 

[Truthmatters]

people mean nothing if they are poor huh?

BTW that minnow is a food source for how many other fish?

 

[Two Thumbs]

Levee on Mississippi is broken to protect town - Weather - msnbc.com

Missouri officials opposed the possible breach, saying it could inundate 130,000 acres of farmland and crush the region's economy and environment by possibly covering the land under feet of sand and silt and rendering it useless.

The ruling by Alito, who handles emergency requests from Missouri and various other Midwest states, came the same day all but 20 to 30 families in 2,800-resident Cairo were ordered out of the city and away from the Ohio, which eclipsed its 74-year-old record height was expected to rise further.

I lived in Cairo [Kay-row] in the late 80's. It was a dying crap hole then and it's been on a steady decline.

We are saving a slum, that no one would miss, to destroy 130,000 acres of farmland, in a time of increasing food prices. That just makes no sense.

On top of that, Cairo has a sink hole about 150 yards from a river, near an old part of the town.

Can anyone tell me why they decided to save this place over MO?

Its part of the flood control plan by the army corps of engineers. That farmland was designated an emergency flood plain. and they are seeing at least 50 year, maybe 100 year flood levels, and this stuff hasnt even hit the lower mississipi yet.

The farmland will recover, the silt will probably help rejuvinate the soil. Cities are much harder to clean, and result in much nastier overflow water being added to the flood.

130,000 acres is not much when you consider the total areable land in the US.

This is going to get worse when it hits the lower mississipi, they may have to open flood gates/blast levees they havent resorted to in decades.

I think you are missing my concerns.

food cost is high, and this is in the Bread Baskett.
Cairo is a slum, seriously, it was falling apart in '85, there as a big sink hole in one of the streets that was left there for 3 years b/c no one cared.

again, Cairo is a town of 1200

Thanks for letting me know MO is a flood plan to save Il.

 

[Two Thumbs]

people mean nothing if they are poor huh?

BTW that minnow is a food source for how many other fish?

uh, that region of MO is not deserted.

people live there also

but since they are farmers and their land is needed to feed the poor, they don't mean anything to you.

 

[Sunni Man]

The residents of the town are black.

The farmers who will lose their homes and farms are white.

It's would be racist to destroy the welfare food stamp paradise hood.

So the productive farms must be sacrificed in order to apease the PC liberals.

 

[Vanquish]

Do you have any specifics about the use of the land...or are you just guessing because of what's normally grown in the area. Do you know if the land is in use for sure?

My great grandfather on my father's side was a farmer...out of a line of farmers stretching back a long time. Before he passed, I got to spend time with him as a kid out on one of our farms. He told me that a good farmer is prepared for anything, knows the rhythms of weather and land, and only has himself to depend on.

When you're between a rock and a hard place, what do you do? Just because you think a city is a slum, doesnt instantly mean that the people there are worthless. And make no mistake, that's what your post comes off as communicating.

I'm more likely to want to protect farmers given a bad situation, but if there are fewer farmers than city folk...AND the land is more easily fixed than the city/people in it...what criteria are you using to make your decision?

 

[Two Thumbs]

The residents of the town are black.

The farmers who will lose their homes and farms are white.

It's would be racist to destroy the welfare food stamp paradise hood.

So the productive farms must be sacrificed in order to apease the PC liberals.

Not exactly.

Most of the farmers in MO are white. But Cairo is about a 50-50 mix of white-black. Mexicans make up a nominal number.

The whites are mostly well off old peole living in old homes, the gehtto is mostly black and the inner part of town is a mix.

but the whole town is very old and falling apart, and that was 25 years ago.

They'd be doing the poor a favor by re-locating them. The well off have insurance. [flood ins is required by law in IL, unless that's changed]

 

[VaYank5150]

people mean nothing if they are poor huh?

BTW that minnow is a food source for how many other fish?

uh, that region of MO is not deserted.

people live there also

but since they are farmers and their land is needed to feed the poor, they don't mean anything to you.

Since the GOP jusy happened to NOT cut the Federal government farm subsidy programs in their budget recommendations, I am sure these 12 farmers will be just fine...

 

[Two Thumbs]

people mean nothing if they are poor huh?

BTW that minnow is a food source for how many other fish?

uh, that region of MO is not deserted.

people live there also

but since they are farmers and their land is needed to feed the poor, they don't mean anything to you.

Since the GOP jusy happened to NOT cut the Federal government farm subsidy programs in their budget recommendations, I am sure these 12 farmers will be just fine...

Thanks,

Do you have a better reason than; "Fuck the farmers, they are getting paid anyway"?

Honestly, the poor in Cairo would have a going away party, if they got moved outta there.

 

[Mr. Peepers]

We are saving a slum, that no one would miss, to destroy 130,000 acres of farmland, in a time of increasing food prices. That just makes no sense.

We produce way more calories than every man woman and child can consume in this country, about 1000 calories more - PER PERSON. This has nothing to do w/food prices. You can blame that on big agra and oil price speculators.

 

[bodecea]

people mean nothing if they are poor huh?

BTW that minnow is a food source for how many other fish?

A point....sounds like if the poster creating this thread had been in charge of the levees in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, it would have been more likely that the those levees HAD been purposely blown.


Farmland recovers easily from flooding...it even enriches the soil over that time. Homes and business buildings not so much. Amazing that the OP doesn't seem to know that....or scary if he does.

 

[Mr. Peepers]

Since the GOP jusy happened to NOT cut the Federal government farm subsidy programs in their budget recommendations, I am sure these 12 farmers will be just fine...

Actually, because of the subsidies lobbied by big Agra, the farmers are NOT doing fine.

http://www.nffc.net/Learn/Fact Sheets/King Corn Fact Sheet.pdf

 

[martybegan]

Levee on Mississippi is broken to protect town - Weather - msnbc.com

Missouri officials opposed the possible breach, saying it could inundate 130,000 acres of farmland and crush the region's economy and environment by possibly covering the land under feet of sand and silt and rendering it useless.

The ruling by Alito, who handles emergency requests from Missouri and various other Midwest states, came the same day all but 20 to 30 families in 2,800-resident Cairo were ordered out of the city and away from the Ohio, which eclipsed its 74-year-old record height was expected to rise further.

I lived in Cairo [Kay-row] in the late 80's. It was a dying crap hole then and it's been on a steady decline.

We are saving a slum, that no one would miss, to destroy 130,000 acres of farmland, in a time of increasing food prices. That just makes no sense.

On top of that, Cairo has a sink hole about 150 yards from a river, near an old part of the town.

Can anyone tell me why they decided to save this place over MO?

Its part of the flood control plan by the army corps of engineers. That farmland was designated an emergency flood plain. and they are seeing at least 50 year, maybe 100 year flood levels, and this stuff hasnt even hit the lower mississipi yet.

The farmland will recover, the silt will probably help rejuvinate the soil. Cities are much harder to clean, and result in much nastier overflow water being added to the flood.

130,000 acres is not much when you consider the total areable land in the US.

This is going to get worse when it hits the lower mississipi, they may have to open flood gates/blast levees they havent resorted to in decades.

I think you are missing my concerns.

food cost is high, and this is in the Bread Baskett.
Cairo is a slum, seriously, it was falling apart in '85, there as a big sink hole in one of the streets that was left there for 3 years b/c no one cared.

again, Cairo is a town of 1200

Thanks for letting me know MO is a flood plan to save Il.

A lot of places that are rural are designated to take flood water in the case of the 100 year flood. This is probably it.

The people in the area knew this was a designated flood plain in the flood control plan. They will be compensated for the losses, as it is a ACE act doing the flooding. Also some of the farmhouses have thier own local levees for a situation just like this.

The ACE took over responsibility for flood control for exactly this reason. In the old days, you used to go across the river and blow the levee on the other side to protect your own town. Naturally the people there tried to stop you. Now the Army Core handles it all, and has designated areas that basically get screwed in the case of the project floods. This area of Missouri is one of them.

If the silting isnt too bad they may even be able to replant after the flood and get something of a growing season in.

 

[Skull Pilot]

Why should a hard working tax paying farmer be saved when a bunch of welfare leeches can be saved.

Think of the voting block.

 

[Truthmatters]

people mean nothing if they are poor huh?

BTW that minnow is a food source for how many other fish?

A point....sounds like if the poster creating this thread had been in charge of the levees in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, it would have been more likely that the those levees HAD been purposely blown.


Farmland recovers easily from flooding...it even enriches the soil over that time. Homes and business buildings not so much. Amazing that the OP doesn't seem to know that....or scary if he does.

Short term thinking for poltical gain.

Not one minute spent thinking of the long term effects of such decisions.

Its why they are easliy manipulated

 

[martybegan]

Why should a hard working tax paying farmer be saved when a bunch of welfare leeches can be saved.

Think of the voting block.

its more a question of hydraulics. Letting Cairo go under does nothing to relive the floodwaters downstream. If you blow the levee and let X acre-feet of water into a flood plain that is X acre-feet of water less you have to worry about downstream.

The ACE probably doesnt want to bring that up due to NIMBY, but that is another reason as well. They are probably worried shitless over the Old River Control and Auxillary structures with this flood. If they fail the mississippi changes routes, and its bye bye to a large part of our industry.

 

[KissMy]

The main reason is the insurance companies lobby because they don't want to have to buy a bunch of new houses. Also FEMA would cost us a whole lot more money to help the city.

 

[Truthmatters]

Its as if they have no idea why this area has rich farm land in the begining