Missouri Communities Face Major Flooding

AccuWeather reports intense flooding has killed at least 20 people and forced hundreds of roads to close across Missouri and Illinois. Rain-swollen rivers will set records in the Mississippi River basin through much of January.

Flooding on the middle and lower portion of the Mississippi River and some of its tributaries may reach levels not seen during the winter months since records began being kept during the mid-1800s.

In addition to the Mississippi, flooding is occurring or is forecast along the Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Meramec, Red and other rivers.

Water levels on the Mississippi could rival the marks set during the summer of 1993, the spring of 1995 and 2011 in some cases.

The 1993 flooding was one of the “most damaging natural disasters to ever hit the United States,” according to NOAA. The catastrophic flooding resulted in 50 deaths and damages totaling $15 billion. Thousands were forced to flee their homes; many were unable to return for months.

“All of us remember the devastating impact of the Great Flood of 1993, and that's why we have been working proactively with our local and federal partners to prepare and respond,” Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said.

Record high flood levels were reached along portions of the Meramec River at Eureka, Valley Park and Arnold, Mo., on Dec. 31. Cape Girardeau, Mo., could experience record high Mississippi River levels this weekend.

Many communities along the middle and lower Mississippi valley will be dealing with long-duration high water lasting days and, in some cases, weeks. Periods of below-freezing air will cause some flooded areas to turn icy and will add to the challenges.

West Alton, Mo., was evacuated on Dec. 29 as waters topped the levees and began to inundate the city.

The Mississippi Valley Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Tuesday that it fully activated its flood-fighting emergency management operations for the Rock Island (Ill.), St. Louis, Memphis, Vicksburg (Miss.) and New Orleans districts to manage rapidly rising water levels on the rivers.

The flooding led to 11 U.S. Postal Service stations around the St. Louis metro area to relocate temporarily, according to NewsRadio 1120 KMOX.

Out of the 14 deaths in Missouri, 13 were caused by vehicles being swept off flooded roads, according to state officials.

Five of those who died on Saturday were international soldiers attending officers’ training at Fort Leonard Wood. The members from the International Student Detachment on Fort Leonard Wood were returning to post from Osage Beach, Mo., when their vehicle went off of the road due to flash flooding at a low water crossing site near Crocker, about 15 miles northwest of Fort Leonard Wood, a military spokeswoman said.

The officers from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan and Malaysia were being returned to their home countries for burial and services, the military said. Gov. Nixon urged residents never to drive through flooded roads or ignore barricades. The Missouri National Guard was called into the state on Tuesday to provide additional security to evacuated areas and direct traffic away from closed roads.

Source: AccuWeather