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Story summary
- The 1993 Mississippi River flood inundated nine Midwestern states, turning rivers into a makeshift sea.
- Sandbag defenses failed, forcing residents in Missouri, Minnesota, Iowa, Cedar, and Wisconsin to abandon homes.
- Des Moines shut down after the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers breached dikes, flooding its water-treatment plant.
- The breach closed highways and bridges, leaving Des Moines without running water for firefighting.
