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Congressman Cleaver tours flooded farms east of Kansas City

Posted at 5:46 PM, Mar 20, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-05 14:09:05-04

ORRICK, Mo. — It's a scene now common across Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri: Farm lands have turned into what looks like rivers.

On Wednesday, Tom Waters, chairman of the Missouri Levee and Drainage District Association, gave a tour to U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D - Missouri) of flooded farm lands near Orrick, Missouri, east of Kansas City.

In one location, Waters and Cleaver said they were able to see eight land owners with water.

"These are farmers who are always on the edge," Cleaver said. "They are not going to become billionaires. They are struggling."

Cleaver met Wednesday afternoon with area farmers who told him they don't feel like they are being heard.

"I don't think they understand how serious it is," Cleaver said. "We are in the bread basket in the country, and these are the people that feed the rest of the people in the country and people around the world."

Waters said the Spring floods hamper farmers' ability to get out in the fields.

"When this hits, you are delayed in planting, or your crop gets flooded," Waters said. "It's hard to survive."

Waters, who has lived in the area for years, says the water is higher than most people realize.

"This is some of the best farm land in the world," Waters said. "We keep going through this and going through this and nothing changes. What do we have to do different? What do we have to do to raise attention?"

The answers to those questions can't come soon enough for farmers.

Waters has asked Cleaver to bring more politicians to show them whats happening in the flooded heartland.

"A lot of times in Missouri, you feel like you are just a fly-over state and you don't get the attention that you would if this was happening on the east coast or west coast," Waters said.