Levee’s failure in 1993 affects a man’s life until today

A large flood back in 1993 caused a levee on the Mississippi River, in West Quincy, to break. The reasons of the disaster were many, among them a man, named James Robert Scott, with a criminal past. Quincy detective Sgt. Neal Baker considered Scott as a suspect due to his confusing behavior, according to his interview in KHQA-TV in February of 2013.

The levee consisted of 15-feet dredged sand covered by plastic sheets and sandbags on top. The work of placing the sandbags wasn’t completed by the day of the flood, so Scott stated he was trying to help than to cause failure on purpose.In defense of Scott were the statements of two scientists, Dr. R. David Hammer, a professor and soil scientist and Dr. Charles D. Morris, a civil engineer.

Six factors related to levee’s failure were revealed from a study that Dr. Hammer participated. According to this study many analysis were made on levees subjected to floods, along the Mississippi and Missouri River. Dr. Hammer claimed that all these factors existed at the site of the levee and it was already at risk. Moreover, he mentioned that the attempts of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to make the levee higher reducing the material from its rear side increased the risk. Dr. Morris, also, asserted that the piping during the previous days could cause the material of the levee to settle and let the water surpass the levee consulting to failure.

Despite the statements of the scientists, Scott was sentenced in life imprisonment in his retrial in 1998. Today he is serving out his life sentence at Jefferson City Correctional Center in Missouri's capital city.

Source: weather.com