DE SOTO, Mo. – In 2016, boats were needed to rescue and transport De Soto residents who lived just a few hundred feet from Joachim Creek.
Today, in 2023, Susan Liley is trying to make sure that never happens again. Liley helped co-found the Citizens Committee for Flood Relief, a non-profit meant to help people living in flood-prone neighborhoods.
“When we flood, we are isolated,” Liley said.
After the 2016 flood, most of the people living near the creek moved, fearing another one might happen again. Liley said she is doing whatever she can to make people aware of the potential flooding.
“We’ve had three people die, and if I stop, I will never be able to live with myself again,” she said.
Lily met with former Missouri Governor Jay Nixon on Thursday to get more eyes on the situation in De Soto.
She is working with another non-profit, Buy In, the city of De Soto, and FEMA to give people living in flood-prone neighborhoods a ‘buy-out’ option for their home.
