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Making their voices heard
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| Warsaw, Ill., area farmers visit with U.S. Rep. Phil Hare of Illinois Saturday in Oquawka, Ill. Several Farm Bureaus in the Tri-State Area handed in petitions with about 7,000 signatures to have Congress fund 500-year flood levees along the Mississippi River. From left are Dave MacMurray, (Sam Zumwalt’s brother-in-law), Hare, Sam Zumwalt with petitions and Don Kerr. |
Petitions with about 7,000 signatures in support of funding for levee improvements given to congressman in Oquawka
By Joy Swearingen/MVM News Network
OQUAWKA, Ill. –– Last spring, U.S. Rep. Phil Hare asked for constituents along the Mississippi River to give him stories and facts about how they had been affected by flooding in 2008.
Don Kerr, who has lived all his life in the Warsaw, Ill., Bottoms area, took on that task and prepared a dosier of information about effects of the flood on his neighbors. He outlined the costs of remediation after a flood, compared to rebuilding levees along the river to avoid the flood damage in the first place.
Then Hare challenged those concerned about the levees to bring him 10,000 petition signers asking for funding to make levee improvements.
Again Kerr met the challenge along with help from those living along both sides of the Mississippi River in Illinois, Missouri and Iowa.
On Saturday, a delegation of 10 farmers and landowners from Hancock County and more from Henderson County met with Hare during a press conference at the Henderson County Health Center in Oquawka. Kerr gave Hare petitions with approximately 7,000 signatures, with more to come.
Working with Kerr is Hancock County Farm Bureau manager, Carla Mudd, who has helped secure many of the signatures, along with many residents of the drainage districts.
“John Caldwell at Meyer (Ill.) worked both sides of the river,” Kerr said. “The Missouri folks really came through.”
Signatures have come from Henderson County and Burlington to the north down as far south as the end of the Sny drainage district near Calhoun County, Ill.
Sam Zumwalt, another farmer from the Warsaw area, explained the petition.
“Since the flooding in 1993, the Corps of Engineers has been doing a study to see what should be done with the levees. They came up with a plan that equalized what can be done in the areas of navigation, recreation, environmental protection and flood controls. It is a plan that allows all four of those areas to benefit,” Zumwalt said.
“Congress has approved the plan but they won’t fund it. Congress has approved a plan to improve and expand the locks along the river, but it has not been funded. The plans just sit there. This petition tells Congress that the people are tired of just sitting on these.”
He pointed out that river transportation has the least impact on the carbon footprint.
“You can move so much so fast down the river, compared with train or truck transportation. We want Congress to support and fund the comprehensive plan. There has been little done to the locks since the 1930s, but piecemeal repairs,” Zumwalt said.
The comprehensive plan equalizes what can be done on both sides of the river. Currently, each state has different maximums of how much levees can be built up. The plan would unify levee work on both sides of the river.
“Phil Hare seems to be supportive of our issues. This is what the Corps of Engineers say will work. We hope something will happen,” said Zumwalt.
Don Kerr, who has lived all his life in the Warsaw, Ill., Bottoms area, took on that task and prepared a dosier of information about effects of the flood on his neighbors. He outlined the costs of remediation after a flood, compared to rebuilding levees along the river to avoid the flood damage in the first place.
Then Hare challenged those concerned about the levees to bring him 10,000 petition signers asking for funding to make levee improvements.
Again Kerr met the challenge along with help from those living along both sides of the Mississippi River in Illinois, Missouri and Iowa.
On Saturday, a delegation of 10 farmers and landowners from Hancock County and more from Henderson County met with Hare during a press conference at the Henderson County Health Center in Oquawka. Kerr gave Hare petitions with approximately 7,000 signatures, with more to come.
Working with Kerr is Hancock County Farm Bureau manager, Carla Mudd, who has helped secure many of the signatures, along with many residents of the drainage districts.
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Signatures have come from Henderson County and Burlington to the north down as far south as the end of the Sny drainage district near Calhoun County, Ill.
Sam Zumwalt, another farmer from the Warsaw area, explained the petition.
“Since the flooding in 1993, the Corps of Engineers has been doing a study to see what should be done with the levees. They came up with a plan that equalized what can be done in the areas of navigation, recreation, environmental protection and flood controls. It is a plan that allows all four of those areas to benefit,” Zumwalt said.
“Congress has approved the plan but they won’t fund it. Congress has approved a plan to improve and expand the locks along the river, but it has not been funded. The plans just sit there. This petition tells Congress that the people are tired of just sitting on these.”
He pointed out that river transportation has the least impact on the carbon footprint.
“You can move so much so fast down the river, compared with train or truck transportation. We want Congress to support and fund the comprehensive plan. There has been little done to the locks since the 1930s, but piecemeal repairs,” Zumwalt said.
The comprehensive plan equalizes what can be done on both sides of the river. Currently, each state has different maximums of how much levees can be built up. The plan would unify levee work on both sides of the river.
“Phil Hare seems to be supportive of our issues. This is what the Corps of Engineers say will work. We hope something will happen,” said Zumwalt.
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