From a $600 million storm-resilience bond in St. Petersburg to drainage renewals in coastal Louisiana, Tuesday’s election results show strong local support for well-defined adaptation investments.
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The Great Flood of 1993 is one of the costliest flood disasters in U.S. history. Over one fateful summer, the Missouri, Mississippi, and Kansas rivers overflowed their banks, leading to around $15 billion in damages—around $35 billion in 2026 prices.
But it could have been even worse. Downtown Kansas City, Missouri—home to tens of thousands of residents and a key regional airport—came within inches of disaster. The swollen waters of the Missouri River almost overtopped the patchwork of levees that had been built in a hodgepodge fashion since the early 1900s. The near-miss spurred local governments and organizations to lobby for upgrades and repairs to stave off a future disaster.
Now, 33 years on from the Great Flood, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, together with local partners, has finally finished the Kansas Citys Levees Project—a $529 million upgrade of the existing flood defenses along the Kansas and Missouri rivers. A final section, overseen by contractor Lane Construction, officially finished on October 29.
For a project of this size, what stands out is that it came in on time and under budget. Here’s how that happened.
1. Full Upfront Funding Made Speedy Construction Possible
Congress paid for the whole project at once through the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, which made $15 billion for flood and storm risk reduction projects available nationwide. Speaking to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in 2022, Scott Mensing, the Corps’ program manager for the project, said the upfront funding allowed the Engineers “to be really aggressive with our schedule.”
The Corps had originally estimated that design and construction would take about 15 years. But with funding secured all at once, the work no longer had to proceed piece by piece. Design took two years instead of five, and the construction target fell to seven years.
2. High Value for Money Helped Make the Case
The upgraded levees protect more than 27,000 residents, 2,700 businesses and structures, and nearly $10 billion in property and infrastructure, according to Lane Construction. All told, the project encompassed nearly 17 miles of levees and floodwalls along both the Kansas and Missouri rivers. That’s a lot of flood defense for a $529 million outlay. The cost-benefit calculus helped make the project economically and politically viable for the stakeholders involved.
Moreover, the improved system is future-proofed against worsening floods and storms. Crews raised the Kansas River levees 2 to 7 feet, meaning they should offer protection against a 650-year flood, which has roughly a 0.15% chance of happening in any year. This is up from the previous 330-year standard. Mensing said that when combining the levees with the infrastructure stability, underseepage, and pump station improvements, the project roughly doubles the level of protection the old levees offered.
This is important given ongoing climate trends. Kansas City has seen annual rainfall increase by 3.4 inches since 1970, NOAA data compiled by Climate Central shows. This makes the risk of rain-induced river flooding higher over time.
3. Local Buy-In Strengthened Local Support
The Army Corps of Engineers did not work alone on this project. Six local sponsors had important roles too, including the Kaw Valley Drainage District; the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas; and Kansas City, Missouri.
The Corps wrote that by engaging with the local community “early and often,” it was able to generate support for the project and lower the number of real estate buyouts necessary to complete it.
In this instance, local governments did not have to pay into the project, as it was entirely federally funded. Other public infrastructure projects split the costs, which can lead to disputes. For example, federal money covers only about $750 million of the Fargo-Moorhead Red River diversion project in North Dakota and Minnesota, out of an overall budget of $3.2 billion. A 2017 court injunction, won by Minnesota over a state permit, stopped construction for more than a year, a delay that contributed to a 25% hike in project costs.
The Risk Levees Cannot Capture
Levees hold back rivers, not rain. When Kansas City, Kansas, flooded in July 2025, “It wasn’t from [a levee breach],” Corps project manager Craig Weltig told KCUR. It was because rainwater rushed out from aging sewer and stormwater pipes.
The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, plans to replace those systems over 25 years for $900 million. The project shows that holistic resilience is built by stitching together overlapping risk-reduction efforts, which together can address every hazard an area faces.
Full funding and ready partners set the pace. Kansas City shows what a large flood project can deliver when funding is certain, the cost-benefit analysis clear, and local partners are brought on board. It offers one model of how to bring large public infrastructure projects from inception to completion—without unnecessary drama.
Read more about resilient public infrastructure and government solutions on The Epicenter here.
Real Estate & Construction
Washington Wildfire Claims Near $1B as Research Reveals Home Vulnerabilities| Claims Journal |Insured losses from the wildfires that plagued Washington for nearly half the summer are nearing $1 billion from roughly 3,500 claims, far exceeding projections of $600 million in September for what have become the most expensive wildfires in state history.
Beyond the Envelope: How a Home’s Structural System Shapes Hurricane Damage | MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub |Across three hurricanes—Irma (2017), Harvey (2017), and Michael (2018)—and every major building component, homes with concrete-based structures (reinforced concrete masonry or reinforced concrete) sustained less wind damage than wood-frame homes.
Read more about resilient real estate on The Epicenter here.
The Statistic of the Week
4 inches
That’s how much room Kansas City’s Kansas River levees had left at their lowest point during the 1993 flood. The new levees are an average of 5 feet higher.
Have thoughts to share or want to add your voice to the conversation? Reach out!
The Epicenter helps decision-makers understand climate risks and discover viable resilience solutions. The Epicenter is an affiliated publication of The Resiliency Company, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to inspiring and empowering humanity to adapt to the accelerating challenges of the next 100+ years.
From a $600 million storm-resilience bond in St. Petersburg to drainage renewals in coastal Louisiana, Tuesday’s election results show strong local support for well-defined adaptation investments.
