4/16/93
By: Bev Darr & Brien Murphy
Courier-Post Staff Writers

The Mississippi River had risen to 21.80 feet by 10 a.m. today, and city officials will decide today whether to install the flood levee gates across Broadway.

The river rose one foot since Wednesday, when it was measured at 20.78 feet at 5 a.m. Flood stage is 16 feet.

A crest prediction of 22.2 feet on Friday was announced this morning by the National Weather Service, where the weatherman explained this prediction might be changed, because more rain is forecast.

John Hark, Hannibal's traffic superintendent, said city officials will meet today to make a decision about the flood gates on Broadway. "If conditions change, I am sure we will wind up setting the gates on Broadway." He said the gates could be installed in three hours.

Only the gates on Broadway are being discussed, Hark said, because the rising Bear Creek near South Main Street "is not a big concern right now."

Although backwater from Bear Creek has covered more than a block of both Sycamore and Ely streets, Hark has not heard about anyone moving out of a home. "The people on Ely have lived through a lot worse flooding than this," he explained. "There are times we wish they would come out that they don't. If it gets much deeper, where they can't wade out, or it threatens their home, they would come out. But water in the street doesn't bother them. They are used to it and know how to handle it."

Ruth and George Arch have lived at 504 Ely St. for about 16 years and have no plans to leave, although the water is in front of their home. Ruth Arch said the water has never gotten into their house.

She plans to stay home until it goes down. "I'm not going out. It's just in the street, where it's hard to get back and forth." Her husband is parking several blocks away on South Sixth Street and wears rubber boots to wade to his car each day on his way to work, she said.

Ruth Arch has not seen anyone moving out of their home, but some have moved their cars. Others are continuing to drive trucks and cars through the water on Ely Street.

Christine Dryden, who lives at 605 Sycamore St., is not worried about the rising water, because she lives on the uphill side of the street and could use the back door. She has never had to move during a flood, except in the Flood of 1973, when the gas was disconnected.

On Wednesday, the city put up barracades on the cobblestone riverfront at the foot of Broadway. This was done because a woman had driven into the water on Tuesday and had to be rescued from her car, according to Hark. (This incident was reported in Wednesday's Courier-Post).

"Now that the water is getting higher, the sightseers need to stay out," he said. He noted that access is still available to businesses located in the area.

At the flood levee on Broadway, sandbags are being used on the east side of the levee to hold back the water that has collected in a small pool. Area sheriff's departments reported some roads are closed by high water today. In Pike County water is getting near Route 79 but had not reached the highway yet this morning.

In Shelby County no roads are threatened yet, but rivers and creeks are all out of their banks in the bottomland. The sheriff's department is checking on Route N north of Lentner.

At LaGrange in Lewis County the river has flooded some fields, but roads were not yet under water.

In Lincoln County, Route H is closed near the Cuivre River, because it is underwater, and some roads near Davis are also under water and closed.