In 1993, a man named James Scott purposely damaged a levee and caused a massive flood of the Mississippi River only to stall his wife from coming home so that he could party

In 1993, a man named James Scott purposely damaged a levee and caused a massive flood of the Mississippi River only to stall his wife from coming home so that he could party. 

His actions flooded 14,000 acres of farmland, destroyed buildings, and closed a bridge. He was convicted of "intentionally causing a catastrophe" and is still in prison serving a life sentence.

James Scott had a history of criminal activities even before the flood incident. He had served time in six prisons by his twenties. His criminal record included burglary and arson. In 1982, he burned down his elementary school, Webster Elementary School in Quincy. In 1988, he set several fires, including one that burned down a garage, which led to a sentence of seven years in prison.


The flood caused by Scott's actions had far-reaching effects. One of the most significant impacts was the closure of all bridges in the area, which were the only links across the river for 200 miles. This forced many people on the Missouri side of the river to drive 80 miles to either St. Louis or Burlington, Iowa, fly, or take a ferry to get across the river for several weeks after the waters receded. One major bridge, the Bayview Bridge, was out of service for 71 days.

Scott's conviction has been a subject of controversy. The 2007 book "Damned to Eternity" and a 2022 Vice News documentary have been critical of Scott's conviction. They argue that there may have been other factors at play that contributed to the flood, and that Scott's actions alone may not have been solely responsible for the catastrophe.

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