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PrintThe Missouri River is expected to reach levels approaching the Flood of 1993 in some places.
Heavy rains of three to five inches to the northeast that continue to fall, along with saturated soils, are contributing to record and near-record projections, according to the National Weather Service.
- Dane Henry Cross 6, in the car with his dog Jake getting ready to go home after a day of playing in the rain on May 6. Dane's father Jason Cross felt they needed to get out of the house and release some of their energy. "We needed to get out and play," says Cross.
- Dane Henry Cross 6, jumps in a puddle after a heavy downpour in Columbia on May. Dane and his father Jason Cross, had been cooped in their home all day.
River heights are expected to increase into the week as rain water makes its way into the Missouri River from higher areas.
Water levels in Boonville are expected to flood some roads and potentially the Missouri-Pacific railroad track on the south side of the river.
M.L. Cauthon, Boonville’s director of public works, said the when the river reaches 21 feet, there will be flooding in low-lying areas. But when the levels reach 30½ feet, streets are expected to flood.
“There’s not a lot we can do,” Cauthon said. “We are taking an inventory of supplies, counting sand bags, that sort of thing.”
“Projected flooding is going to be as bad as 1993,” said Susie Stonner of the State Emergency Management Agency.
However, she said steps have been taken since the flood in 1993 to decrease property damage. Fifty-four communities and about 4,500 land owners participated in a land buy-back program that turned high risk areas into parks, recreational fields and farm land.
For more information, go to the National Weather Service’s Web site at www.riverwatch.noaa.gov/missouri.shtml
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