ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that the severity of the local flood impact in the Midwest has national implications for floodplain management and disaster relief policies. It reviews the most significant social impacts of the 1993 flood, including the impacts on human health and habitation, as well as disruption of economic activity and, in many cases, on patterns of daily living. The social impact of the Great Flood of 1993 has its roots in the history of human habitation of the Mississippi and Missouri River basins. The chapter aims to review role of disaster relief agencies, state and local governments, and informal interpersonal networks in dealing with the flood's onset and recovery. It chapter examines how one particular social institution--the mass media on both the local and national levels--covered the flood onset and immediate post-impact period. The chapter concludes with a section on lessons learned: the potential directions for national policy making.
