5 years, 9 months ago by Scott Hardy
Levee at West Quincy gave way three days later
On this date 25 years ago, the Mississippi River at Quincy set a record no one wants to see again. Scott Hardy has more.
( Audio 1:02 )
On July 13th, 1993, the Mississippi River crested at 32.12 feet, which is estimated to be a 500-year flood level. The crest came after weeks of heavy rains, not only in the Tri-States, but to the north as well. Hundreds of volunteers gathered to help fill sand-bags for the levees along the river, but one by one, they eventually gave way to the river. Three days after the record crest, the levee at West Quincy also gave way, flooding the small town and 14 thousand acres of Marion County farm land. It also forced both the Bayview and Memorial Bridges to close for over two months. They were the last bridges open between Burlington and St. Louis. Months after the levee break, James Scott of Quincy was charged in Marion County with causing a catastrophe. Scott told a friend that he sabotaged the levy to strand his wife in Missouri, so that he could party across the river without her. Scott was first convicted in 1994 by a Kirksville jury, then re-tried in Hannibal in 1998 and convicted again.
He's now serving a life sentence in the Jefferson City Correctional Center.
