WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Researchers from Purdue University’s Division of Construction Engineering Management and the Purdue Homeland Security Institute are working with local, state and federal agencies to assess the economic, social and psychological impact of this summer’s extensive flooding throughout the Midwest.

Through the National Science Foundation project, the researchers will canvass three communities to collect data and distribute surveys to determine the extent of flood damage and the toll it is having on communities.

Residents in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Missouri are still grappling with an estimated $10 billion in damage from the flooding, which killed 24 people and injured another 150 people in June and July. Initially, Purdue’s six-month study will focus on some of the hardest hit communities – Cedar Rapids, Iowa; St. Louis; and Terre Haute, Ind.

“The main reason for much of the widespread flood damage was infrastructure failures,” said Eric Dietz, director of Discovery Park’s Homeland Security Institute. “The collapse of a bridge, road, home, business, hospital, church or other critical structure can devastate a community, creating social and emotional stresses that can have lasting effects on people’s lives.”

Researchers, led by civil engineering professor Mark Hastak, will conduct personal interviews and distribute surveys to those living in and around the flooded communities. Survey answers will provide demographic information about the residents, how long they have lived in the community, and the infrastructure and businesses that are a part of their regular daily lives.

Researchers will work closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Red Cross and other local agencies involved with infrastructure planning and maintenance, Hastak said.

Congress has earmarked $10 billion for Midwest flood relief. Flood damage in Indiana is expected to reach $1 billion. Estimates are far higher in Iowa, where communities such as Cedar Rapids had 1,300 city blocks under water, forcing the evacuation of 24,000 residents.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Recent heavy rains have flooded 9 percent of the corn acreage, 9 percent of the soybean acreage and 5 percent of the winter wheat crop, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s crop report released June 16.

The southwest district of the state, which includes Evansville, Freelandville, Shoals, Stendal and Vincennes, received the most crop damage with 16 percent of the areas corn acreage flooded, as well as the soybean acreage. Six percent of the wheat acreage was reported as flooded in the southwest district.

The southwest district was followed closely by the southcentral district, in terms of crop acreage flooded — 13 percent for both corn and soybeans and 9 percent for flooded wheat acreage. The southcentral district includes the areas surrounding Leavenworth, Oolitic and Tell City.

These numbers come from questions added to the USDA’s weekly crop progress survey in Indiana.

“We added the flood numbers to the weekly crop progress report because everyone wanted to know how the floods were affecting Indiana,” said Greg Matli, deputy director of the Indiana office for USDA’s National Agriculture Statistics Service located at Purdue University. “Calls were coming in from the governor’s office, Farm Service Agency offices, Chicago Board of Trade and newspapers wanting information.

“There was obviously a demand and we already had the system in place to get that information, so we decided to add a few questions to our weekly survey and now people know what’s going on.”

Indiana has 97 percent of its corn planted with 93 percent emerged and only 55 percent of it is rated in good to excellent condition. Hoosier soybean growers have 80 percent of their crop planted with 70 percent emerged and 52 percent considered in good to excellent condition.