Building a Flood Defense Wall in Illinois

Workers put sandbags in front a neophrene barrier over concrete blocks as they build a flood wall on River Road in Alton to keep the floodwaters of the Mississippi River from flooding downtown business. Volunteers built a 1000-foot (600-meter) long and 4-7-foot (1.2-2.1-meter) high floodwall in 24 hours to protect downtown businesses.

Unique identifier: GP0STPJSR

Type: Image

Shoot date: 28/12/2015

Locations: Alton (Illinois), Illinois, Mississippi River, North America, United States of America

Credit line: © Mannie Garcia / Greenpeace

Ranking: ★★★★ (E)

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Mississippi River Flooding

The Mississippi River and most other waterways in Missouri and Illinois flooded after 10 to 14 inches (25 to 35 centimeters) of rain fell over a wide swath of the two midwestern states in the last days of 2015. Volunteers in Alton on the east bank of the Mississippi River built a 1,000-foot (600-meter) 4-7 foot (1.2-2.1 meter) high flood wall in 24 hours which protected downtown businesses from flooding. The water crested below the devastating flood levels of 1993 but wintertime flooding is relatively rare in the region where moisture typically falls as snow in winter.

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