In 1993, the Mississippi flooded, killing dozens of people and leaving 62,000 families homeless. From lake to ocean, the Mississippi is a chain of life and death. A leaf falls in the water. A crawfish eats it. Larger fish eat the crawfish.
Humans eat the larger fish.
A flood wipes out human towns but leave nutrients behind to enrich the soil. New plants grow. They drop their leaves. And life on the Mississippi goes on. The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site is the largest prehistoric settlement in North America.