One year ago, in the early morning hours of July 26, 2022, record-setting rains caused devastating flash floods in the St. Louis region. More than 1,600 homes were affected, with nearly 100 of them hit by major damage. One person died, and hundreds of people found themselves displaced.
University City resident Mary Ann Gaston saw her basement flood from floor to ceiling in 12 minutes. She also had about two feet of water on her first floor. Despite having experienced more than $116,000 in damage, Gaston said she considers herself lucky, comparatively.
“Although I find myself in debt one year [later], there are people that still have not even begun to recover,” she told St. Louis on the Air.
The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District has identified $700 million worth of stormwater needs throughout the region. A new rate proposal likely to go to voters in April would allow the utility to create a pot of money municipalities could use for expenses like buyouts.
“There are people whose homes are going to continue flooding no matter what we do, and we need to get them out first,” said CEO Brian Hoelscher.
If approved, residential rates would go up by about $25 per month. Other customers would pay based on the amount of property that cannot absorb stormwater.
Bob Criss, a hydrologist and professor emeritus at Washington University in St. Louis, said buying out homes in known floodplains is a critical and “cost effective” step. He added that municipalities also need to stop developing and building along waterways.
“We continue to have an appetite for building stuff where it doesn’t belong, and we have got to turn that back,” he said. “There is no engineering fix to having a house in the wrong place.”
For more on how the St. Louis region can better prepare for future flooding, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcast, Spotify or Google Podcast by clicking the play button below.
Related event
What: “The Flood of 2022: Charting a Path Forward”
When: 7 p.m. July 26
Where: University City High School (7401 Balson, University City, MO 63130)
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Ulaa Kuziez is our production intern. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr. Send questions and comments about this story to talk@stlpr.org.
