According to this article, some lots in the Charlestowne subdivision near New Town are being designated as within a 100-year flood plain. Is there still active building going on in that subdivision? If I were a buyer I think that would scare me far, far away.
The sad thing is, I bet the developer will build there anyway, and as P.T Barnum might predict, they'll have no trouble finding buyers.
The lack of a regional vision for floodplain management over the last 20 years or so is downright appalling. I realize there may have been some instances in which raising levees and developing low-lying land may have been practical, but so much of what's been built should never have seen the light of day in the first place.
I'd love to say there will be a day when our region's leaders wake up and realize what a folly this has been, but sadly, it would take billions of dollars of damage. But then again, the 1993 flood was an absolute catastrophe, and look at how much (Chesterfield Commons, St. Louis Mills, Charlestowne, New Town, etc.) has been built either within or near the floodplain since then?
I had an opportunity to stop in and chat with the FEMA people and look at their maps. The reason some of the Charlestowne homes are in a 100 year flood zone is because of their proximity to a creek that runs between Charlestowne and a mobile home park, not directly due to Mississippi or Missouri Rivers. According to the FEMA people, the flood zones due to the Mississippi River is actually 1.5 to 2 feet lower at the nearest area to Charlestowne and New Town.
