Floyd & Missouri River Floods 1952After a long and snowy winter, March temperatures in the Midwest warmed dramatically. This caused the deep snowfields to melt quicker than normal. Plans were made for the high waters, which were sure to come. They didn't have to wait long. ![]() In early April, predictions of a possible 17-foot depth were made. South Sioux City, in particular, was very nervous. The citizens began watching their levees, which protected the city from the river's rise. The levees were built to hold back the river to a depth of 19.4 feet. Then, the full extent of the problem was learned. The new prediction was for the Missouri to rise above the previous prediction, all the way to 22 feet. Riverside residents were warned to evacuate due to the rise, which would have them in "water to their waists". South Sioux City was in deep trouble. Levees were two and a half feet lower than the expected crest, and leaks had already sprung. Patrolling the levees, repairing leaks, and sandbagging the tops went on for days. ![]() Finally the levee west of South Sioux City collapsed and all the land between the river and Crystal Lake was covered with river water. When the river crested April 14 at 24.3 feet, it had pushed the Sioux River out of its banks flooding Riverside Boulevard and from Goldie Avenue south to Riverside Park. All business came to a standstill. The stockyards were closed, the packing plants damaged, and the sewer system taxed to it's limit. All of South Sioux City lay under water. Nearly the entire population was evacuated. ![]() When the river subsided, the damage could be assessed. The monetary damage was estimated at $3,264,000. This figure does not take into account the toll of human suffering that took place with the devastating damage done to people's homes in both Sioux City and South Sioux.
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