CAIRO, IL (KRCU) - Cairo, Illinois is still under a mandatory evacuation.
Ohio and Mississippi River levels are falling outside of Cairo’s flood walls. But sand boils continue to plague the community’s streets.
Residents can return to Cairo to check homes and property between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., but they cannot stay overnight.
Lifelong resident Kenny Simelton left Cairo two weeks ago. Looking over a series of sinkholes, he wonders if the city’s foundation is structurally sound.
“Is the city safe at all? I mean, you know, if they fix this hole, will it collapse again? Will there be an area that collapses? Who knows? I dunno,” Simelton asks.
Cairo has been under a mandatory evacuation since May 1 due to massive flooding on the Ohio and Mississippi.
In a written statement, Cairo mayor Tyrone Coleman urged residents to respect the evacuation order … saying that the city of Cairo is still unsafe.
Despite this, there are some signs of life returning to normal.
Pharmacist Fran Sherrill packed everything from her shop into a moving truck before the evacuation on May 1st. Now she and her employees are cleaning the windows and restocking her shelves as residents trickle back into town.
“Well obviously we’re a pharmacy and a medical necessity. We’re not a luxury for these people. We’re an absolute necessity for their lives and their livelihood. We thought that we needed to get back as soon as they let us back in here,” Sherrill said.
Jacob McCleland, KRCU
