On Monday, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers crews closed the Bonnet Carre Spillway outside of New Orleans and most of the Morganza spillway near St. Francisville has been closed as well.

Both moves signal the Great Flood of 2011 is quickly slipping from our collective attention, though the cleanup and the plan for “where we go from here” are still being considered.

On the whole, the Great Flood of 2011 will be a blip in history for many people because this flood simply did not destroy the enormous swaths of property that some of the previous “great” floods did during the 20th century.

But the flood’s costs are, however, still high. Cleanup costs will certainly be in the hundreds of millions for private businesses and local government all along the river. The levees held, but many were damaged.

Corps of Engineers officials estimate repairing damage to levees due to the flooding could reach $1 billion — more than five times their entire annual budget.

Experts suggest we should logically expect to see higher river levels more often than in the past.

At the moment, however, our nation may not be ready to make the investments required to keep the levee system functional and ready in times of disaster.

More than 40 percent of the continental United States is drained by the Mississippi River. Given its scope, it’s imperative that needed federal funding be found to repair and bolster levees along the lower Mississippi River.

We’ve had a good warning, but next time when the waters rise, they may reach even higher levels and we should be ready.