A friend returned from Christmas vacation with her family around
Galesburg, Illinois, saying that locally she heard reports around that as
the result of the flood the soil had lost a lot of the organisms that
typically reside there and which contribute to the soil being productive
during the growing season.  She said people said the soil was "dead".

How to interpret this?

Thanks in advance.

: A friend returned from Christmas vacation with her family around
: Galesburg, Illinois, saying that locally she heard reports around that as
: the result of the flood the soil had lost a lot of the organisms that
: typically reside there and which contribute to the soil being productive
: during the growing season.  She said people said the soil was "dead".

: How to interpret this?

: Thanks in advance.

I wouldn't believe a word of it!  Sure the soils in that area
won't be too productive for a while due to waterlogging and the
fact thatit could be hard to get machinery onto such wet soil,
but 'dead'? I don't think so. Why did egyptians live next to the
Nile which floods periodically? Why is some of the most fertile
land in the world on flood plains? You can 'kill' a soil but
flooding is not going to do it.

Jerome Pier