Robert Matya News Today

People have lived along the Mississippi River and its tributaries for millennia, but levee systems built in response to past disasters aren't designed for the newest risk: increased rainfall caused by climate change.

With rivers pushed to the brink, municipalities have struggled to keep their residents safe.

People have lived along the Mississippi River and its tributaries for millennia, but levee systems built in response to past disasters aren't designed for the newest risk: increased rainfall caused by climate change.

People have lived along the Mississippi River and its tributaries for millennia, but levee systems built in response to past disasters aren't designed for the newest risk: increased rainfall caused by climate change.

Adapting to the Mississippi River's increased flow and subsequent flooding by using natural, less manufactured ways.

Those living alongside waterways seek ways to make life safer and more sustainable.

People have lived along the river for millennia, the benefits competing with the risks. Modern levee systems built in response to past disasters like the Floods of 1927 or 1993 aren't designed for the newest risk: increased rainfall caused by climate change.

The western border of Atchison County, Mo., follows the twisting path of the Missouri River.Acres of corn and soy fields once lined its shores, but after a nearby levee suffered seven breaches in the Flood of 2019, the cropland was ruined.