The Mississippi River is the nation’s most endangered river, a national conservation group says, because of federal plans to cut flood relief programs as severe weather threats grow.
American Rivers, a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization, has issued an annual list of U.S. rivers it views as most at-risk for the past 40 years. The Mississippi’s place at the top comes as communities along the lower river flooded from torrential rain in early April, and as Trump administration officials consider eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, which helps state and local governments respond to disasters.
The list calls attention to the threats rivers face and prioritizes those for which the public can influence policies that affect their well-being, said Mike Sertle, senior director for American Rivers’ Central Region. For the Mississippi River, he said, the organization’s goal is to press the federal government to maintain a role in disaster relief, which it says is critical to safeguarding people in river communities.
“We don’t disagree that things need to be reviewed and updated,” Sertle said. “But we also see there’s importance to keeping the agency.”
The Mississippi River has always flooded. While flooding threatens human structures, it is an important part of the Mississippi River’s life cycle and actually builds land. But experts say floods are growing more frequent, erratic and severe due to climate change. In 2019, the river’s most recent major flood, water stayed at or above flood stage for months and caused $20 billion in damage.
FEMA assists communities during floods and other types of disasters, provides funds for recovery and oversees preparedness efforts, like its flood maps that predict risks in different areas. And it’s doing so more often today. A January 2025 report to Congress found that the average number of major disaster declarations has increased by 61% from the 1980s and 1990s, partly due to climate change.
But it has faced broad criticism for not moving quickly enough after disasters and not helping disaster survivors equally. President Donald Trump has floated the idea of dismantling the agency and in February the agency fired more than 200 of its staffers as part of Trump’s push to shrink the size and scope of the federal government. The White House did not comment on the American Rivers’ report’s criticism of these actions.
Mississippi River flooding touches multiple states
FEMA is especially important for coordinating flooding responses along the Mississippi River because it touches so many states on its journey to the Gulf, said Kelly McGinnis, executive director of the environmental advocacy group One Mississippi.
She and Sertle both described significant room for improvement in how FEMA operates, including speeding up timelines for getting help to communities. The American Rivers report says a more effective and efficient FEMA is critical for flood management as the cycle of drought and flooding on the Mississippi River becomes increasingly extreme.
Cuts to other federally funded flood management agencies will likely impact the Mississippi River beyond the threat to FEMA, the American Rivers report noted.
“FEMA plays a critical role in helping address issues in the aftermath of the flood,” said Alisha Renfro, coastal scientist with the National Wildlife Federation. “On the front end, it’s really about the Army Corps of Engineers and their budget is being threatened as well.”
In March, a stopgap bill to fund the federal government through Sept. 30 slashed $1.4 billion from the Army Corps of Engineers’ construction budget, which funds hurricane and flood mitigation projects.
With budget losses to both FEMA and the Army Corps, grant programs to address riverine flooding could be impacted substantially. According to FEMA, every federal dollar spent on flood mitigation yields $7 in benefits.
In a statement released after the announcement, the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative announced that it does not agree with the river’s designation as the “Nation’s Most Endangered Waterway,” citing significant improvements including new natural infrastructure, landscape protections, added conservation lands and water quality integrity measures. But the group of mayors agreed that federal oversight of emergency management is needed.
“Disaster response along the Mississippi River is inherently a multi-state question and thus, FEMA needs to continue to play a vital role in coordinating the efforts of many states to systemically mitigate risks, recover, and restore infrastructure. MRCTI Mayors are ready to work with the President to reform FEMA, expand states’ role and save taxpayer resources,” said Belinda Constant, MRCTI Louisiana State Chair and Mayor of Gretna, LA.
American Rivers’ announcement comes as states along the lower Mississippi are experiencing and bracing for flooding from heavy rains upriver. Vicksburg, Mississippi officials are reinforcing flood walls as they wait for water to arrive. In Louisiana, the Army Corps is patrolling New Orleans levees for problems. On Monday, the new Bayou Chene floodgate was closed for the first time due to high water to protect several parishes from backwater flooding as the Atchafalaya River continues to rise.
The Mississippi has made the endangered rivers list in the recent past for other problems. In 2022, the entire river appeared on the list because of pollution and habitat loss, and in 2020, threats from climate change and development landed the upper Mississippi at number one.
The river’s continued appearances on the list show that there isn’t enough progress being made on its biggest challenges, McGinnis said.
But although the distinction may be negative, she said it’s a good excuse to put river issues in the spotlight.
“I think it’s very useful to be having these important conversations,” McGinnis said, “so we can hopefully really begin to change how we handle big rivers.”
Top Photo: The Mississippi River rises to flood stage surrounding a highway outside Memphis in 2016. Memphis is again flooding this week after heavy rains. (Photo by Andrew Breig / Daily Memphian)
