Thin line between mayhem and safety

The Mississippi River rushes through a break in Indian Grave Drainage District levee north of Quincy, Ill., and south of Meyer, Ill., on June 18.

Well before record floods overwhelmed at least two dozen levees in the Mississippi River watershed, government officials at all levels have raised concern about the ability of such structures to protect property and lives. For millions of Americans living in flood-prone places, all that stands between the waters of mayhem and safety is a pile of dirt.