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Murrow submission: Continuing coverage - Winter flooding of 2016

The rain started at the very end of 2015.

By Jan. 1, the rivers were just cresting, overflowing the banks of the Mississippi, Missouri and Meramec Rivers. The floods caused more than 20 deaths, forced hundreds of people from their homes and closed major interstate highways.  President Barack Obama declared the region a state of emergency which provided funds to help the thousands of people impacted by the floods.

St. Louis Public Radio's coverage of the floods of 2016 included newscasts, feature-length stories and spot news. We provided regular updates to listeners about managing the logistics of a flooded region, but we also told the stories of the individuals and towns damaged by the deluge. As the waters receded, we followed people working to rebuild their towns. We looked into how rivers could breach their levies.  We asked why some towns were hard hit and others close by weren't.  We also followed up a year later to check in on recovery efforts. 

St. Louis Public Radio's entry for continuing coverage.

Copyright 2021 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio.

Shula Neuman is the executive editor at St. Louis Public Radio. She came the station in late 2013 as a subject matter editor, after having worked as an editor for NPR in Washington, D.C. Shula started her journalism career as a general assignment reporter for the Watertown Daily Times and made the switch to radio when she took a job as a reporter/evening newscaster at St. Louis Public Radio. After that, Shula reported on economic development for Cleveland’s public radio station. This is Shula’s second stint with St. Louis Public Radio. She says she just can’t stay away from her hometown because she’s tired of rooting for the Cardinals in absentia. Shula has a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University; an Executive M.B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis; and a bachelor’s from Reed College in Portland, OR. She claims she has no intention of going back to school again.