Cape Girardeau pumps finally shut off

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - The Mississippi River’s water level is finally going down around Cape Girardeau, allowing the city to rest their overworked pumps.

And the people working those pumps are also in need of some desperately needed down time.

Monday afternoon marked the first time in ninety days that the city’s pumping stations on the Mississippi were not running.

According to the city, the pumps did the equivalent work of driving a new car from Cape to New York and back sixty two-times.

City Manager Scott Meyer says that public work officials were forced to prioritize tasks in order to keep flood waters from backing-up into sewers near the river.

“Well for our dedicated employees it’s a great break, they finally get to go home, on their regular shifts and spend time with their families, so it’s a great thing,” Meyer said.

With the pumps off-line, the city will finally have time to perform maintenance on stressed pumps, as well as play catch-up on mowing some public properties and maintenance of several water detention areas.

Tim Filla, KRCU

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New Madrid spared from flooding

NEW MADRID, MO (KRCU) - New Madrid has been spared much of the flooding damage and devastation that other communities have felt this spring.

The city’s levees have held. Pumping stations are removing backwater from city streets.

A series of eight to ten sand boils have appeared on streets along the levee. New Madrid city administrator John Gilbert says that they are under control, but he expects more sand boils to bubble up from time to time.

"And so the minute we see one, we plug it," Gilbert said. "So we have not had too much problem with them yet. We’re expecting more streets to kind of give way and maybe some sewer lines to sink. We’re going to have some problems after the fact like many cities."

Gilbert believes that opening up the Birds Point-New Madrid floodway helped relieve pressure at New Madrid and other communities along the Mississippi.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

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Cairo remains under mandatory evacuation

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

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Mississippi River crests at most places in Missouri

The Mississippi River has crested at most points in Missouri.

The river at Cairo was at 58.3 feet as of 4 a.m. this morning, and it will continue to fall. Despite the falling river, the mandatory evacuation for Cairo remains in place.

The river has also crested at New Madrid and is beginning to fall. The river level this morning is at 47.5 feet.

And the Mississippi is finally falling, albeit slowly, at Caruthersville. The river t is at 47.2 feet this morning. It crested at 47.6 feet on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports the river is 3 miles across at Memphis. The river is typically one-half mile wide. The river is expected to crest on Tuesday at 48 feet at Memphis. The record crest is 48.7 feet. The record was set in the 1937 flood.

This is the first time that the Mississippi has exceeded 41 feet since 1937.

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Army Corps of Engineers initiate Phase II floodfight

The Army Corps of Engineers has initiated a Phase II flood fight along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.

A Phase II flood fight is initiated when the river gauge at Cairo reaches 52 feet. The rivers at Cairo are now at 53. The expected crest is 58 ½ feet.

The river stage at Cape Girardeau was at 38.8 feet at 3 p.m. yesterday with a forecasted crest of 44.5 feet. Flood stage at Cape Girardeau is 32.0 feet.

In a press release, Colonel Vernie Reichling of the Memphis District says, quote, “We are anticipating near-record flood levels in many parts of the Memphis District. We have not seen levels predicted this high since 1937,” end quote.

A phase two flood fight entailed greater monitoring of river levels, checks for leaks and sand boils along levees, and establishing field offices in Cape Girardeau and Dyersburg, Tennessee. The Caruthersville office will also have additional personnel.

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River levels rising

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - The Mississippi and Ohio Rivers are both on the rise, and continued rain this week will increase the likelihood of flooding.

The Army Corps of Engineers has switched to a Phase One flood fight, which means that they have personnel on call to open up field operations in flood prone communities.

Army Corps of Engineers spokesperson Jim Pogue says that the usual lineup of river towns should keep an eye on the rising river.

"Cairo, New Madrid, Charleston, down around Dyersburg in Tennessee. Those are the traditional areas that are problematic where we have to do a lot of monitoring. But generally what we look at are agricultural areas that aren’t protected by the levee system," Pogue said.

River levels are expected to rise by one foot each day until the rivers crest on April 30. The rivers will crest at 52 feet at Cairo.

Pogue says that areas south of the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers are at the greatest risk for flooding.

"The thing that makes this a little unusual is we’re expecting the river to come up very fast," Pogue said.

The Army Corps of Engineers will provide emergency assistance to communities in the event of a flood.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

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Metropolis casino closes as Ohio River rises

A swollen Ohio River forced Harrah’s Casino in Metropolis, Illinois to close yesterday. The casino will remain closed until river levels fall.

The Army Corps of Engineers has opened up field offices in Cape Girardeau and Caruthersville. While the Mississippi River has crested north of Cairo, Illinois, levels are expected to rise south of the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi.

Cairo has been at least 12 feet above flood stage for over a week. Army of Corps of Engineer spokesperson Jim Pogue mentions that the corps is carefully watching the situation at Cairo, and that this type of situation is somewhat common.

"Typically a week or two of water up on a levee is not going to be a source of concern. If you are talking months and months, then that’s a different story. But we don’t expect anything like that to happen," Pogue says.

South of the confluence, about 2/3 of the water in the Mississippi River actually originates in the Ohio. The remaining 1/3 of the water comes from the upper Mississippi.

The Corps is looking at communities such as New Madrid very closely for potential flood damage.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

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