Submitted by Brad Otto, Sep 12, 2007 02:00

As a homeowner in Gays Mills, Wisconsin, who has been through the hell of throwing away those keepsakes and losing the foundation of my house, I don't believe you know entirely what you are talking about. You're probably sitting high and dry somewhere telling us we're emotional cripples who just want to rebuild again. That smarts, frankly. Our town has flooded a few times over the years, but the USGS flood plain map doesn't include the residential area of Gays Mills. I know, FEMA plotted my house on the map. This was the highest flood water since records have been kept. Look at the flooding in Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio, Minnesota, Wisconsin--nearly concurrently! This is due more to freakinsh weather and unprecedented rainfalls than it is to an outmoded wish to maintain "hometown America". The town nearby, Soldiers Grove, did stay dry, however it feels like a suburb to some large-ish city and everything has that delightful 1970s feel. All the architecture is identical (and boring) and they no longer have a downtown or "heart" of the village. We hope to rebuild to modern codes and to look at other options to keep our village safe. Many cities have dikes or floodways incorporated into the landscape so one doesn't even know there could be a problem just waiting to happen. Maybe think about what you're saying before comitting it to print.

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