UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. – Wednesday marked one year since historic flooding devastated hundreds of homes in University City.
“Our neighbor’s car was up on our front lawn. It’s the only car I’ve ever seen that had a base in front that was not caused by a wreck on the highway but was caused by the river with all of its power pulling the car into a tree,” said Don Fitz.
Fitz is the organizer of the resident-led meeting with local, state, and federal officials. The meeting focused on what has been accomplished since the flooding and what will be done in the future.
“The main accomplishment has been the red alert system, where people warned if there is a flood coming,” Fitz said. “We’ve actually heard it in our neighborhood, and people are much more aware of the constriction of River des Peres, which adds a lot to the problem.”
The clog in the tunnel in the River Des Peres was another issue that residents brought up at the meeting.
“We definitely don’t maintain the creeks and streams. We definitely don’t maintain the floodplains themselves,” said Brian Hoelscher. “We do have the ability to raise funds regionally and be part of a regional solution towards all funds affecting all 525 square miles of the district.”