SAVE MONEY ON TRAVEL DEALS

Officials of the local umbrella group the Southwestern Illinois Flood Prevention District say they're considering suing the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers to make them reveal exactly what they want done to river levees in order to prevent the relocation of thousands of homes, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Monday.

"A federal agency is imposing a needlessly severe economic penalty on this region, seemingly without any documentation", Les Sterman, the council's construction supervisor, told the newspaper. "We're just asking what's wrong with the levees. I think it's a logical question."

The group is reportedly seeking to force the agencies to reveal the criteria for a 2007 announcement that FEMA would de-accredit the five East St. Louis-area levee systems -- a decision that may force thousands homes and businesses to spend more for flood insurance and hinder development until up to $500 million in levee repairs are made by local agencies.

The Post-Dispatch said Corps officials contend they're concerned about design deficiencies and potential problems with underseepage -- water that undermines levees from behind and beneath.

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