As record-breaking floods swamped the Midwest this week, dozens of levees built to protect people from flooding have catastrophically failed. The destruction has caused billions of dollars in damage and exposed weaknesses in the country’s piecemeal approach to flood management. Now, with an inland sea of water surging downstream, towns along the Missouri River and beyond are stacking up sandbags and wondering whether their own levees could be the next to fail. At least 50 levees have been breached or overtopped by rivers engorged with late-winter rains and snowmelt, according to the Army Corps of Engineers. The failures have raised questions among residents about the durability of the flood system and renewed criticism from conservation groups who say that America’s scattershot approach to flood control and development near rivers is simply setting the stage for future disasters. Here is a look at the damage, what is […]