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CAT Tracks for May 2, 2011
RAINY DAYS AND MONDAYS |
KFVS TV Channel 12 is reporting 4 inches of rain over the region last night, added to 1.5 inches Saturday night.
Reportedly, preparations are under way (maybe even completed) for the breaching of the Birds Point levee. However, the Army Corps of Engineers maintains that no decision has yet been made to proceed with the final stage of the flood plan...detonation. Earliest detonation would take place later today.
Needless to say, with a mandatory evacuation in place, Cairo Public Schools are closed today and until further notice. (Cairo Superintendent of schools Leotis Swopes has actually committed to Monday and Tuesday only.)
Stay tuned...
From the Southeast Missourian...
River at Cairo continues quick rise
Monday, May 2, 2011 ~ Updated 7:17 AM
CAIRO, Ill. -- The Ohio River at Cairo continues its fast rise, reaching just a few hundredths below 61 feet by 6 a.m. today.
The river stood at 60.97 feet after having risen 1.31 feet in the preceding 24 hours. The president of the Mississippi River Commission, Lt. Gen. Michael Walsh, has the authority to activate the Birds Point New Madrid Floodway when the river reaches 61 feet and rises. The river could likely reach that stage by this morning.
On Sunday Walsh ordered barges to start loading explosives into pipes on the levee. Once the explosives are loaded, Walsh could give the order to breach at any time.
Look for updates throughout the day at www.semissourian.com.
From the Army Corps of Engineers...
Birds Point New Madrid Floodway Facebook Page
From the KFVS TV Channel 12 Website...
Cairo to crest at 63 feet, No decision yet on levee blast
By Carly O'Keefe
NEW MADRID COUNTY, MO (KFVS) - UPDATE: The latest forecast from the National Weather Service estimates the Ohio River at Cairo will crest at 63 feet on May 4.
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The final execution of the plan to blow the Front Line levee at Birds Point could take place Monday.
Breaking the levee means flooding about 133,000 acres of farmland and 100 homes in Mississippi and New Madrid counties.
If the Army Corps of Engineers decides not to break the levee, the city of Cairo could flood as the Ohio River continues to rise.
The corps last said they are still in a holding pattern monitoring the rising river levels. However, the corps released a statement calling for media to be in Sikeston at 10 a.m. to register for credentials IF a decision to blow the levee is made.
The corps is still pumping in the slurry mix explosive agent into the pipes in the levee Monday morning.
Sunday afternoon Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh, President of the Mississippi River Commission, briefed the media with Mo. Sen. Roy Blunt and Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson at the SEMO Regional Port in Scott City.
Maj. Walsh directed Col. Vernie Reichling, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Memphis District Commander and field crews to move the barges across the river to Missouri and load the pipes with the binary agent at the Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway on Sunday.
Walsh said he will review the situation continuously as conditions change.
The next step, and final step, is to activate the floodway by artificially breaching the levee.
The final decision to activate the floodway has not been made. Again, the Corps says the final decision has not been made.
Gov. Jay Nixon Sunday issued the following statement regarding the most recent developments on the flooding situation in southeast Missouri:
"I traveled to New Madrid yesterday afternoon to meet with local elected and emergency response officials, and to again view the large area already impacted by flooding, or threatened with flooding," said Nixon. "This was my second trip to southeast Missouri in the past five days. Accompanying me were Maj. Gen. Stephen Danner, the Adjutant General; Missouri Public Safety Director John Britt; and Col. Ron Replogle, Superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Troopers from the Highway Patrol also have been assisting local law enforcement in patrolling area roadways.
"The people of southern and southeast Missouri who have been suffering because of these destructive floods should know that we will continue to provide all the state resources we are able to alleviate that suffering."
More can be found on the Governor's official website.
Gov. Nixon says that while he continues to oppose the proposal to breach the levee, the state of Missouri has made tremendous efforts in the last few days to assist local law enforcement in evacuating the floodway.
More than 700 Missouri National Guard members on the ground in the area secured the homes and personal property Sunday of those who have been evacuated.
Also, there is a new record high at Cairo. The river was recorded at 59.86. The new forecast for the crest is 63 feet on May 4, 2011.
Officials say this is putting an enormous amount of stress on levee systems
"The Mississippi River and tributaries system has never been under this type of pressure before," said Major General Michael Walsh with the Army Corps of Engineers.
Additional heavy rains could cause more flooding and more strain on the levees. The corps was using other measures to try and relieve pressure.
"We are holding back as much water as we can in reservoirs in the entire Ohio River Basin," said Major General John Peabody.
"I'm going to give the public as much notice as I can if we activate the floodway," Walsh said.
If you want to keep up with the Birds Point plan yourself, you can check out the Army Corps of Engineers' Birds Point New Madrid Floodway Joint Information Center page on Facebook.
From the KFVS TV Channel 12 Website...
Two levees in Alexander Co. breached
By Christy Hendricks
The Fayville Levee and a levee at the Dog Tooth Bend area breached Monday morning.
This Fayville Levee is along Fayville Road south of Thebes next to the river, according to the Alexander County Sheriff's Office. Water is pouring into the Olive Branch area.
The levee breach in the Dog Tooth Bend area is at about river mile marker 28, according to Alexander County Board Chairman Mike Caldwell.
Any Olive Branch residents needing shelter should report to the Egyptian High School.
Also, in Cairo road under the train bridge going into town is flooded out. This is the bridge you pass under going south into town. Water is either coming up through drains or from levee on west side of town.
From the Southeast Missourian...
Source: Photos show overtopping of frontline levee near New Madrid
Southeast Missourian
This photo shows natural overtopping at the frontline levee on the Mississippi
A source that has been closely monitoring the situation at the Birds Point levee has submitted photos to the Southeast Missourian that apparently show natural overtopping at the frontline levee along the Birds Point New Madrid Floodway near New Madrid, Mo.
The photos, taken from an airplane, were submitted just after 2 p.m. Monday.
The Army Corps of Engineers personnel at the Sikeston command center weren't immediately aware of the overtopping, but said it could happen.
"It would be expected at this level," said corps spokesman Jim Pogue.
Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh was expected to make an announcement at 5 p.m. about the next course of action on the Birds Point situation.
This photo shows natural overtopping at the frontline levee on the Mississippi
From the Southeast Missourian...
Cairo police chief urges remaining residents to evacuate the city as water covers more roads
Monday, May 2, 2011 ~ Updated 2:56 PM
CAIRO, ILL. -- Access to Cairo, Ill., is slowly getting cut off as the rivers around the town continue to rise, covering roads and spurring law enforcement to restrict access to the city to emergency personnel only.
Cairo Police Chief Gary Hankins strongly urged any remaining residents to evacuate.
"This is a very serious situation," he said.
Mayor Judson Childs said he was deeply concerned today after a visit from Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh. Walsh toured the levee system in the city, including inspecting a boil on 40th Street.
The Ohio River was at 61.25 feet at 2 p.m. today. The previous record was 59.5 in 1937, the only other year the Birds Point-New Madrid spillway was activated. a decision about breaching the levee again will be made at 5 p.m.
About 100 people stayed in Cairo after signing a waiver saying they understood the danger of not adhering to a mandatory evacuation Sunday.
"It might be 99 in a minute because I might be leaving," Childs said.
Childs, who hands over his duties as mayor tonight to Tyrone Coleman, said he was extremely concerned about his city.
"I still have interest and heart in Cairo. I love Cairo," he said.
Highway 3 is blocked at Olive Branch, Ill. Highway 127 was closed as well. Water was up to the road on Interstate 57 just north of Cairo, but remained passable at 2 p.m. Highway 37 was also safe.
From the KFVS TV Channel 12 Website...
Corps of Engineers to break levee
Posted: May 02, 2011 5:27 PM CDT
By Christy Hendricks
MISSISSIPPI COUNTY, MO (KFVS) - Maj. General Michael Walsh, President of the Mississippi River Commission, says he has decided to operate the floodway project at Birds Point - New Madrid Floodway.
The Army Corps of Engineers will begin blasting at 9 p.m. Monday.
They will work through the night, breaking another section of the levee from 1 a.m. to 4 a.m. Tuesday.
The final execution of the project will be between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tuesday.
They are in the final stages of preparation of the charges.
Maj. General Walsh says it is a "heart-wrenching" situation.
"This is the right time to operate it," Walsh said.
Maj. General Walsh called this flooding unprecedented and historic and said public safety was his number one issue in initiating the plan to blow parts of the levee.
"Safety is our number one priority," Walsh said. "And that was the main reason we stood down operations last night during lightning storms."
This breach will create a lake in the floodway in the next 24 to 36 hours.
Around 150 members of the Army Corp of Engineers are working with the Coast Guard.
No civilians will be allowed in the area of the blast.
Breaking the levee means flooding about 133,000 acres of farmland and 100 homes in Mississippi and New Madrid counties.
Heartland News will be on the scene Monday night in Mississippi County with live coverage when the breach takes place.
From the Southeast Missourian...
Cairo residents relieved by Birds Point decision, other Ill. towns still dealing with flooding
Monday, May 2, 2011 ~ Updated 8:49 PM
By Erin Hevern ~ Southeast Missourian
CAIRO, Ill. -- Packing up important city documents today, officials in Cairo were nervous and restless as river levels reached record highs and they waited on the government's decision to breach the Birds Point-New Madrid levee.
Relief came shortly after 5 p.m. when Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced they'd activate the floodway starting today. The action, the corps said, will take pressure off an entire levee system as the Mississippi River takes on increasing water levels around the confluence with the Ohio River.
The breach, decreasing Ohio River levels across the next few days, will spare Southern Illinois towns like Cairo, a city that was largely evacuated. Less than 100 people remained in the city today after former Mayor Judson Childs ordered a mandatory evacuation.
"I've always trusted that those who were sitting in the position to make this call were just simply trying to gather all the information and facts before they made the decision," said Cairo Mayor Tyrone Coleman, who was sworn into office shortly after 4 p.m. "Regrettably, there are those who have had to suffer from this wait, but it's just all a part of the process."
The Ohio River topped 61.5 feet by 6 p.m., blowing out the record of 59.5, previously set in 1937, the only other year the Birds Point-New Madrid spillway was activated. Childs said this afternoon he was deeply concerned about Cairo and thought the corps' decision should have been made sooner.
"If it was up to me I would have blown the levee yesterday, the day before or the day before that," Childs said. "But it's not up to me and I have to respected the decision of the corps."
Engineers with the corps believe breaching the levee could reduce the water levels at Cairo by about 4 feet in less than two days.
As river levels continued to rise, numerous Alexander County roads were closed, including Highway 3 at Olive Branch, Ill., and at Tamms, Ill., Highway 127 was closed for the city to pump seep water. Emergency management in Alexander County reported just before 10 a.m. today a breach at a levee in Fayville just south of the railroad bridge near Thebes.
This caused even more water to hit the small Illinois town of Olive Branch, where families last week were fighting to save their homes. The Alexander County Highway Department was working to load files and other equipment in vehicles to keep them safe from floodwaters.
Coleman recognized the Birds Point levee issue and the flooding is not just about saving Cairo.
"Myself, along with others, have gone out in the county and provided assistance to them. It's about all the people in this region. Everyone's affected by this," he said.
On its website, Ameren Illinois has activated its own emergency operations center and is working closely in communities such as Olive Branch and Thebes, Ill, where disconnects may be necessary due to flooding. When electrical substations become threatened, the company is switching electrical feeds, where possible, to alternate substations in order to maintain service, according to its website.
Any traffic in and out of Cairo today was rerouted around the high school as water filled a low point in the road at Highway 51. Motorists could exit the city via Highway 37 north of Cairo, through Mounds and have access to Interstate 57. The interstate was also accessible from Highway 51, although water filled much of the roadway to the north and southbound on ramps.
Cairo Police Chief Gary Hankins urged any residents still in the city to leave, due to the conditions.
"It was a dire situation before and now it's even more urgent," he said.
As a life-long resident of the Cairo, 65-year-old Charles Koen said today after peering over the floodwall along the Ohio that he had no intentions of leaving the city -- with or without the Birds Point breach. The city is rich in history, said the Cairo physician who spent years as Civil Rights activist in Southern Illinois.
"I've done a lot of research ... We have the best levee system in America," he said.
And while he understands law enforcement and the National Guard's warnings to evacuate, Koen said some Cairo residents just simply can't afford to leave.
"My family is staying in a hotel out of town. But, not everyone can afford that at $80 or $85 dollars a night," he said.
Rev. Alex Brooks, who was with Koen observing the river's height, said he also didn't see the need to evacuate, citing his confidence in the levee system. Both men were in favor of the levee breach, but thought the decision should have come sooner.
"This city is going to grow and going to develop," Koen said. "We'll get through this."
Coleman, born and raised in Cairo, is also looking toward the future and restoring a "sense of normalcy" in the city. Still, he knows Cairo has a long way to go in their flood recovery, if waters recede as the corps has predicted.
"We're going to stay here and fight until we've exhausted all means," he said. "I'm just hoping the camaraderie that has been shown as we've come into this and as we come out of this will continue."
The rising Ohio River was cause for concern for Metropolis, Ill., mayor, too. He recommended a voluntary evacuation. The river at Metropolis is forecast to rise five feet by Friday. At the current increase in river levels, restricted access in and out of Metropolis can be expected, according to a news release from the city's emergency management agency.
seMissourian.com
River near the southern end of the Birds Point New Madrid Floodway.
(submitted photo)
River near the southern end of the Birds Point New Madrid Floodway.
(submitted photo)
Southeast Missourian
Updated: May 02, 2011 5:57 PM CDT
