7/6/93
By: Susan Denkler
Courier-Post Staff Writer

"We're prepared," said Mayor Richard Schwartz, speaking of city crew activities mounted Thursday and Friday in advance of a possible 29-foot flood crest on Sunday.

Schwartz said backup equipment has been set up at the flood levee pumping station and city crews have been busy hauling in truckloads of sand and hedging both ends of the levee, in case of record-setting river levels.

"Right now, we have done all we can do to prepare," said Schwartz Friday night. "We are prepared to deal with more water than is predicted."

Schwartz said according to the latest figures given him, the city should be prepared to handle a possible 28.5 crest by tonight and a possible 29-foot crest by Sunday. Because of that, he said City Engineer Bob Williamson ordered that both ends of the flood levee be built up Friday to to hedge against the water that could come.

"In his judgment, the best thing to do was to elevate and construct that area up," said Schwartz. "They hauled red sand all day, then covered that with plastic sheeting and sandbagged on top of that."

He said the extra measures were taken at the flood wall wrap-arounds at Fourth Street to the south and under the Mark Twain Bridge to the north.

He said the sand at the north end does not block River Road.

In addition, pumping equipment was hauled into the levee's ponding area located behind the old Mark Twain Hotel, in case power would fail and a backup generator system be required.

He said city workers are walking and patrolling the levee, watching for problems. "We don't fear a breach of the flood wall," he added.

Schwartz noted that 400 sand bags were set up Thursday and Friday around the Union Electric substation south of Hannibal, off Route 79, and a temporary transformer station was expected to be open by midnight Friday near Orchard Avenue and Warren Barrett Drive in Hannibal, able to supply emergency power.

Further, Schwartz said an emergency operations center has been established in the basement of the fire station on McMaster's Avenue, coordinated by a state official from the Missouri Department of Public Safety and representatives of City Hall, the Marion County Sheriffs Department, the Hannibal Police Department, and other emergency personnel. It will be manned 24 hours a day and operate as the need arises.

Brenda Heidbreder is the representative from the Department of Public Safety in Hannibal. The number for the emergency center is 221-9210.

Schwartz noted that the city crews continue to alert those in the flood plain of possible dangers, and are trying to evacuate those that will.

"We have, for the past several days, been actively encouraging people or removing people from the Bear Creek and Mississippi flood areas. Those people that want to leave, will be able to leave. We have the water patrol on duty day and night."

Because the city is now prepared for a "worst-case scenario," Schwartz said he hasn't seen a need to call for assistance from the Missouri National Guard.

"Up to this point, they haven't been considered," he said.