New Pattonsburg, Missouri, once located at the confluence of Big Creek and the Grand River, had been flooded 33 times over the course of the twentieth century. This article describes the efforts of the citizens of New Pattonsburg, following the Great Flood of 1993, to relocate their town and rebuild it on higher ground.

Valmeyer, Illinois was relocated and its agricultural sector reconstructed following the Great Flood of 1993, which left 90 percent of Valmeyer’s buildings damaged beyond repair. The reenvisioning of the town and its environs resulted in a number of steps taken to make the new Valmeyer a resource-efficient community.

Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin  was rebuilt on higher ground nearly 20 years ago, following decades of repeated flooding. The reconstructed Soldiers Grove features town center buildings that are energy-efficient and solar-heated, and the new downtown became the first business district of its kind in the nation.

Rhineland, Missouri, following repeated flooding during the spring and summer of 1993, was moved entirely off the Missouri River floodplain. Most of the relocation consisted not of building new homes but of picking up the old ones and moving them to the new site, improving them in the process.

Last updated: August 9, 2001

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