Howard Dicus: 1993 was the year America's heartland had the flood of the century.
Howard Dicus: Floodwaters inundated whole counties in the Mississippi and Missouri River basins, driving millions of people from their homes. Ron Grier of Davenport, Iowa.
Ron Grier: “I had to sleep on my ex-girlfriend's couch, which was real nice, real nice. I enjoyed it thoroughly.”
Howard Dicus: The flood was no joking matter for farmers who lost all their crops.
Unknown Speaker: “And never have I seen the extent of flooding and damage all along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.”
Howard Dicus: Missouri Congressman Harold Volkmer.
Congressman Harold Volkmer: “This year alone in Missouri, we have seen a 100-year flood and now, a short time later, a 500-year flood.”
Howard Dicus: This was also the year Hurricane Emily hit the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Jeff Young: “We're outside. It's over 100-mile-an-hour winds.”
Howard Dicus: UPI's Jeff Young was there.
Jeff Young: “I can be out here because there is a rope tied to the back of my blue jeans, and it goes to a table leg inside my room at the motel that I'm staying at. The wind is so ferocious that without the line, I would literally be blown off my feet.”
Unknown Speaker: “Amtrak's Eastbound Sunset Limited derailed just east of Mobile, Alabama.”
Howard Dicus: Sleeping passengers were trapped when cars went into the water. 47 died in the worst Amtrak accident ever.
Unknown Speaker: “As many as 10,500 people have been killed, 10,000 wounded and another 12,000 missing after a series of earthquakes jarred nearly half of India.”
Howard Dicus: Other disasters: an earthquake in Japan; a ferryboat capsize in Haiti; and a fire at a toy factory in Thailand.
