07/24/2026
In the summer of 1993, relentless rainfall across the Kansas and Missouri River basins produced what became known as the Great Flood of 1993. The ground was completely saturated, meaning nearly every additional drop flowed directly into rivers and streams. As water levels climbed, communities throughout the Midwest prepared for what many feared could rival, or even surpass, the devastating flood of 1951.
Although North Kansas City's levee successfully protected the city in 1951, it had been raised by an additional five feet in the years that followed. Even so, the NKC Levee District and local emergency officials took no chances. By late July, more than 170,000 sandbags had been filled.
The greatest concern lay just north of the city limits where U.S.169 crosses the Burlington Northern Railroad yard. There, a gap in the levee designed to accommodate railroad traffic had to be sealed with a temporary floodwall reinforced by sandbags. Police officers, firefighters, Public Works employees, railroad workers, and other volunteers worked together to complete the barrier before the river reached its peak.
On July 26, 1993, the Missouri River crested at 48.9 feet, the highest level ever recorded at that time. With the improved levee averaging approximately 52.6 feet in elevation, the additional height added after 1951 proved critical. As the river finally began to recede, officials breathed a sigh of relief knowing North Kansas City had once again been spared the widespread inundation that devastated neighboring Riverside and downtown Parkville.
The danger, however, was not over. Rising groundwater created problems throughout the city. Sinkholes opened, pooling water destabilized roadbeds in the Paseo Industrial District, the 16th Avenue exit from I-29/35 was temporarily closed, and a few downtown businesses discovered water in their basements. FEMA ultimately estimated approximately $1.5 million in damage to roads, stormwater systems, underground utilities, and other infrastructure.
On August 20, after weeks of uncertainty and around-the-clock work, local businesses thanked the city employees, railroad workers, and the numerous volunteers who had protected the city in true Northtown fashion — with a Polish sausage and hot dog cookout in the old Piggly Wiggly parking lot at 19th Avenue and Howell Street.
Additional image credits: NKC Levee District; Kansas City Public Library
