In the midwest the summer of 1993 was the summer of the "great flood." The rains, it seemed, would never cease. Rivers all across the central section of our land broke from their banks, broke through retaining walls and laid waste to ten thousands of acres of farmland and many cities besides. It was a summer of horror for great numbers of our citizenry. Many of them lost just about everything they had.

Tom and Donna Starr manage several hundred acres of farmland in western Illinois adjacent to the Mississippi River. For the Starrs, the flood of '93 was a great catastrophe. They watched in horror as the flood waters moved ever closer to their land. Maybe the rains would let up in time. Maybe the crest of the flood had already been reached and they were safe. Maybe the flood waters would mi…