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

[Vanquish]

What's the problem. Pick the area with more people. People in this thread are bitching just to bitch at this point.

 

[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.

It isn't just the 130,000 acres, it is also 100 homes on those acres. If I were a farmer who is going to lose my home and farm to save a town of 1200 people, I would be more than a little pissed.

If this was a designated flood plain, which i think it was, some of these houses will either be on high ground, or have thier own small levee system, which hopefully will protect them to some degree.

 

[Old Rocks]

people mean nothing if they are poor huh?

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

No you idiot. That little minnow is on the Endangered species list. The Govt in its infinite wisdom decided to withhold water from thousands of acres of beautiful producing farmland. All for the sake of a minnow.

They put farmers and all those who work for them out of work.

So says the ditto heads that idoloze an obese junkie.

 

[Two Thumbs]

It is an interesting use of words, we are not saving a town or peoples lives we are saving a SLUM. Glad you cleared that up. since it is a slum it is probably not worth saving but if it was a sub division we would look at it different and if it was a gated community, think of the up roar, but no it is just a slum. Tough break huh.

What part of it's falling apart isn't getting through your thick skull?

Did you even read the link?

The thread?

I lived there, the only people still there want to leave but can't [for the most part]. People would throw a parade as they left.

But instead we are going to flood peoples land and homes in which they want to live and stay.

But they are just farmers, so fuckem right.

 

[Two Thumbs]

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.

The Mississippi River flood plain is 200 miles wide in areas. It is far better to flood that area then the town, whether it is filled with poor folks or not. Even if it was a rich town it would be better to flood the plain. That's why the flood plains are there after all. And as was pointed out in a prior post the silt will be good for the soil.

It has nothing to do with rich or poor people living there.

Read the link, it tells you the buildings are crumbling.

 

[ogibillm]

It is an interesting use of words, we are not saving a town or peoples lives we are saving a SLUM. Glad you cleared that up. since it is a slum it is probably not worth saving but if it was a sub division we would look at it different and if it was a gated community, think of the up roar, but no it is just a slum. Tough break huh.

What is liberals like use as a quote
The good of the many out weight the good of the few?

or the one. it is logical.

Farm land feed's many people or do you think your food is grown in the grocery store?

it's a flood plain. their deeds have easements allowing the flooding. i don't really feel sorry for people living and working there because the reason they live and work there is it's a flood plain.

now i'm sure some would like to attribute some political bent to the ACE but i'm fairly sure they're just doing their jobs and making the best decision they can under the circumstances. and although people like to point to just the small town of Cairo, I'm sure they haven't built a wall around that city to contain the flooding on the illinois side - in other words there'd be plenty of flooded illinois farm land too.

personally, i hate that they blew the levee for selfish reasons. i'm not going to see my wife for several more weeks over this deal, but such is life.

 

[westwall]

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.

The Mississippi River flood plain is 200 miles wide in areas. It is far better to flood that area then the town, whether it is filled with poor folks or not. Even if it was a rich town it would be better to flood the plain. That's why the flood plains are there after all. And as was pointed out in a prior post the silt will be good for the soil.

It has nothing to do with rich or poor people living there.

Read the link, it tells you the buildings are crumbling.

All the more reason to keep them from flooding. The effluent would pollute the farmland downstream that will be flooded, this is only the upper Miss, the flooding further down is going to be even worse. It's terribly sad for the families affected but they should have built their homes on high ground or built elevated pads in the first place. Leveee's break all the time, you have to build for that.

 

[Vanquish]

Let's see...

On one hand you have people who live in a town that normally doesnt get flooded...has more people....and poor people who can't afford to rebuild

On the other hand you have farmers who knowingly moved into a flood plain, could have chosen a better place to put their houses, and might even get a net positive from the outcome.

Seems pretty clear. Just because you think a town is a shithole doesnt mean that the people living there aren't needy.

 

[Two Thumbs]

I give up.

You have all made assumptions and are throwing accusations.

one after another

I attempted a reasonable conversation, and got a reasonable answer to my initial question. But the non-sense keeps coming.

so

Cairo is a borken down shit hole. The buildings in it are a hazard to the people living there. The projects were a wasteland 25 years ago.

A flood would have destroyed, causing the state to have to re-build it.

damn that never got through.

 

[Two Thumbs]

Let's see...

On one hand you have people who live in a town that normally doesnt get flooded. the area around Cairo gets flooded yearly...has more people. link...and poor people who can't afford to rebuild they wouldn't be doing the re-building

On the other hand you have farmers who knowingly moved into a flood plain, but not a region where they could expect a levie to be broken on them. could have chosen a better place to put their houses, and might even get a net positive from the outcome. might

Seems pretty clear. Just because you think a town is a shithole doesnt mean that the people living there aren't needy.

you missed the point, as did most people

 

[Old Rocks]

LOL. Two Thumbs, give it up. In the past couple of weeks, this administration has shined. Two disasters, one sudden, one slow, and both handled very well at all levels of government. Long form birth certificate shown. Bin Laden dead.

And, while the economy still sucks, now there are private sector jobs with decent wages opening up. The glacial recovery is still proceeding, two steps forward, one step back. By the end of 2012, if the Teabaggers don't shut the government down, there will be significant economic recovery. The thought scares the hell out of you, doesn't it.

 

[Old Rocks]

The Mississippi River flood plain is 200 miles wide in areas. It is far better to flood that area then the town, whether it is filled with poor folks or not. Even if it was a rich town it would be better to flood the plain. That's why the flood plains are there after all. And as was pointed out in a prior post the silt will be good for the soil.

It has nothing to do with rich or poor people living there.

Read the link, it tells you the buildings are crumbling.

All the more reason to keep them from flooding. The effluent would pollute the farmland downstream that will be flooded, this is only the upper Miss, the flooding further down is going to be even worse. It's terribly sad for the families affected but they should have built their homes on high ground or built elevated pads in the first place. Leveee's break all the time, you have to build for that.

As you drive across the Skagit River flood plain near Mt. Vernon, Washington, you see track after track of houses built on six inch slabs. And in the middle, an old farmhouse on an eight foot high foundation. I have to wonder why the people buying these houses did not ask themselves the why of that farmhouse. And it seems to me that anyone living on a flood plain should have brains enough to build for the inevitable.

 

[Two Thumbs]

LOL. Two Thumbs, give it up. In the past couple of weeks, this administration has shined. Two disasters, one sudden, one slow, and both handled very well at all levels of government. Long form birth certificate shown. Bin Laden dead.

And, while the economy still sucks, now there are private sector jobs with decent wages opening up. The glacial recovery is still proceeding, two steps forward, one step back. By the end of 2012, if the Teabaggers don't shut the government down, there will be significant economic recovery. The thought scares the hell out of you, doesn't it.

This has zero to do with obama
even less to do with OBL

UE rose to 9%

why would government not being shut down scare me? The debt is huge, rising, and the dems want it bigger.

What does any of that have to do with not wanting to rebuild a slum so that it's safe to live in?

 

[Two Thumbs]

Flood plain - a region that floods almost every year.

Designated flood plain - when the shit hits the fan, you get fucked.

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

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.

So we should flood homes instead. Makes perfect sense.

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

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.

Wiki says 2800

According to my calculations, 130k acres is 0.03% of all the arable land in the U.S. Sorry but I just don't see that increasing prices very much. Not to mention that period flooding is good for the soil.

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

They'd be doing the poor a favor by re-locating them.

Its funny how every time the poor get their homes leveled its called doing them a favor.

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

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.

Sounds like if the OP is in charge of the Morganza spillway, we could count New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and the largest volume shipping port in the western hemisphere - completely dead

Though admittedly there is an important difference - folks living in the Morganza have known since the 50's that they live in a designated spillway. To buy property there you have to sign a waiver acknowledging this. They accepted that risk in writing when they bought their property. On the other hand, the folks in Missouri didn't have 50 years warning.