When rain keeps coming down and flood waters rush in, more than theoretical solutions are needed. That’s become abundantly clear in 2008, with nearly every region of Illinois experiencing serious flooding in the first six months of the year. Beginning with Livingston, Ford and Iroquois Counties in January and then later this spring in counties along the Mississippi, Wabash, Fox and Illinois rivers, flooding and its aftermath have become stark realities for many Illinois citizens.
I’m proud that University of Illinois Extension has been at the ready to provide research-based solutions for the very real challenges facing our state’s flood victims: safety of flood-damaged foods, well safety, mold remediation, hiring qualified contractors, purchasing energy efficient replacement appliances, explaining the disaster to children, and more. Extension’s role has even included helping organize volunteers for sandbagging and other relief activities in some counties. The agricultural community is now using Extension expertise to help assess damage to fields and structures, to plan for rehabilitation of crop land and reconstruction of buildings, and to make planting decisions. Extension’s online Bulletin of Pest Management and Crop Development has provided continuously updated information on flooding conditions, and Farmdoc is providing relevant updates to help growers who have been hit by flooding to make informed market-based decisions.
This isn’t the first time Extension has been called upon in response to flood conditions, and we’ve learned some lessons along the way. The Mississippi River Flood of 1993 taught us that Illinois citizens who had experienced flooding relied on local Extension offices over the long term for research-based information. Long after emergency first responders complete their vital work, Extension will remain on call to help in recovery efforts. It’s all part of the land-grant mission that we take seriously here at the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.
Robert A. Easter, Dean
