Missouri's governor warned Tuesday of flooding and swollen river levels that could exceed levels seen in a devastating flood in 1993, and he pleaded with drivers to stay off inundated roadways.
Thirteen people in Missouri have died in floods caused by severe storms over the weekend, and although the rain has moved on, swollen rivers are still rising and won't crest for days, Gov. Jay Nixon said.
"It's very clear that Missouri is in the midst of a very historic and dangerous flooding event," Nixon told reporters Tuesday. "The amount of rain we've received, in some places in excess of a foot, has caused river levels to not only rise rapidly, but to go to places they've never been before."
Nixon declared a state of emergency Monday, and on Tuesday he activated the National Guard to assist first responders and to secure areas evacuated because of the winter storms.
In the St. Louis-area town of West Alton, the Mississippi River spilled over a levee, prompting the mayor to urge everyone in the town of 520 people to evacuate. Interstate 44 was closed near the central Missouri town of Rolla, and a section of Interstate 70 was shut down in southern Illinois.
The National Weather Service predicts that the Mississippi River at Chester, Illinois, across from Perry County, is expected to crest at 49.7 feet on Friday, matching the 1993 record, the governor's office said. The Mississippi at Thebes was expected to crest Saturday at a record-breaking 47.5 feet.
The Mississippi River is expected to reach nearly 15 feet above flood stage on Thursday at St. Louis, which would be the second-worst flood on record, behind only the devastating 1993 flood.
In the 1993 flood, about 50,000 homes were destroyed across nine states, and losses were estimated at $15 million to $20 million, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Forty-seven people died.
"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," Nixon said.
nbcnews
0 comments: