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CAT Tracks for May 11, 2011
IT'S OFFICIAL...EVACUATION ORDER LIFTED |
...8 p.m. curfew remains in effect until May 17th.
Have to admit that I succumbed to hearsay and rumor earlier today when I reported what others had told me about WKRO announcing the imminent lifting of the evacuation order.
So...
Below is "official" media coverage that I can pass along to confirm that it is, indeed, true...as of 3 p.m. TODAY.
CAT Tracks Editor's Note:
At the risk of offending those not enthralled with my humor, I must offer one catty comment about a notice within the first article below...
DAYUMMMMMMMMM!
Who knew?
...that Cairo with its colorful and bawdy background was going to go from soaking wet to DRYYYYYYYYY!
Ballard County folks must be laughing their butts off...at least until Highway 51 opens up between Cairo and Wickliffe and the thirst drives them across the bridge!
Anyway...
Look for a brisk if brief resurrection of the bootlegging business...
From the KFVS TV Channel 12 Website...
Cairo evacuation order lifted
By Christy Hendricks
Mayor Tyrone Coleman says residents can return to Cairo and are asked to be responsive to any emergency personnel still in the city.
People are asked to avoid the areas that have been marked with either barricades or red tape as those areas are still not safe to the public.
The curfew for the city is still in effect until 6 a.m. on Tuesday, May 17.
No alcoholic beverages will be sold during this time by anyone within the city as long as the curfew is in effect.
Residents are urged to report any problems that may still arise from the flooding and high waters.
The Mississippi River levee is still closed to traffic and no one except emergency personnel are allowed on the Ohio River levee.
Businesses are allowed to resume normal hours on Thursday, May 12, with the exception of those selling alcoholic beverages
From the Southeast Missourian...
Cairo mayor: People can return starting at 3 p.m.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011 ~ Updated 1:54 PM
By Erin Hevern ~ Southeast Missourian
CAIRO, Ill. -- More than a week after city leaders ordered residents to evacuate, Cairo Mayor Tyrone Coleman announced Wednesday people can return to their homes beginning at 3 p.m.
Coleman, sworn into office May 2, kept the evacuation in place even after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers breached a levee opening the Birds Point-New Madrid floodway. Although the Ohio River has dropped since then -- from 61.72 feet to 57 feet -- Coleman was concerned about safety of the residents, calling the flooding and rainfall unprecedented. Sand boils and sink holes had been observed in Cairo, associated with the massive pressure on the city's flood-control system.
Only about 100 people, not including emergency personnel and law enforcement, stayed in Cairo while the order was in place.
"Citizens are being asked to be respectful and responsive to any emergency personnel that remain in the city who are continuing to provide services for our community, so, that it may continue to remain safe," Coleman said in a news release.
Coleman is keeping a curfew in place until 6 a.m. May 17. From 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. no one except emergency personnel may be on the city streets.
While the curfew is in place, Coleman said no alcohol can be sold in Cairo. Businesses, with the exception of those selling alcoholic beverages, can resume operations Thursday, the mayor added.
"No alcoholic beverages will be sold during this time by anyone within the city as long as the curfew is in effect."
