7/15/93
By: Brien Murphy
Courier-Post Staff Writer

As Hannibal spends its 98th consecutive day above technical flood stage awaiting a record-breaking crest, a levee near LaGrange no longer exists and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is predicting levees north of Hannibal will continue bursting one by one.

The Corps in Rock Island, Ill., reported the Mississippi River level at Hannibal at 28.5 feet ­ .09 of a foot away from the record ­  at 3:30 a.m. today. This is only the second time in recorded history the river has reached 28 feet.

The river is expected to crest in Hannibal at 31 feet Sunday. An updated prediction was not available from the National Weather Service by presstime.

Lewis County Sheriff B. Laverne Whitaker said this morning that a levee south of LaGrange broke overnight near Wakonda State Park, which was closed last week just in case levees near the park started breaking.

Water is in the park and covers about 4,000 acres of park and farmland, Whitaker said. The area is not heavily populated.

In Canton, the river level is at an all-time high of 24.79 feet, breaking the 1973 record of 24.5 feet, according to spokesmen at Lock and Dam 20.

Culver-Stockton College in Canton is offering emergency housing and meals for flood victims. Call 288-5221 or go to the Gladys Crown Student Center on campus to make arrangements.

The levees that burst near LaGrange and last week near Alexandria may be a preview of things to come because of the constant stress from high water, according to the Corps in Rock Island.

Corps spokesman Ron Fournier said late Tuesday that nearly all the levees in the area except the new Hannibal levee and the South Quincy levee in Adams County, Ill., are in dangerous condition.

And the Hannibal levee, built to withstand a 200-year flood, will be tested with a 500-year flood if the river rises to the expected 31-foot crest Sunday.

If the river rises past 33 feet, water will come over the top of the Hannibal levee, Fournier said. Any river level near that will mean water will lap over the top of the levee and gates.

Meanwhile, crews worked around the clock with bulldozers Tuesday to shore up the South River, Marion County and Fabius River drainage districts. Each are in danger of bursting because of extreme pressure from the high river.

Marion County Sheriff Dan Campbell requested help at the South River levee north of Hannibal. Volunteers should report to the levee to help sandbag and strengthen the levee.

Near the American Cyanamid plant north of Hannibal, between 300 and 400 people are sandbagging the South River levee.

Mike Mechlin, a company official, said today employees are being bused to the plant from Hannibal in case the surrounding levees break so their personal vehicles would not be stranded.

If the levees surrounding the plant break, ³we could be isolated here,² Mechlin said. ³Weıll be able to get our employees out by boat.²

Other levees on the Illinois side, including ones near Niota, Ill., and Meyer, Ill. are likely to fall if the river reaches predicted levels, Fournier said.

The forecast isnıt good with rain predicted tonight and through the end of the week.

Rain fell this morning in Hannibal and points north, dumping more water into the rising Mississippi River.

The river reached 28 feet for only the second time in recorded history by 9 p.m. Tuesday, according to the backup gauge at the city maintenance building on the riverfront. The only other time it has been that high was in 1973, when it reached 28.59 feet.

The primary gauge at the Hannibal Filtration Plant is broken.

With an unprecedented flood on the way, residents of the Bear Creek area are being warned to leave their homes.

City Engineer Bob Williamson warned residents to get out of flooded areas and into shelters because any significant amount of local rain could make Bear Creekıs level jump dramatically.

³Thatıs what really scares me,² Williamson said. ³A heavy downpour is a very real threat.²

Relatively few people have moved into the Red Cross shelter at the old Hannibal Regional Hospital on Virginia Street. Many more are staying with their homes, waiting out what could be Hannibalıs worst flood in recorded history.

Residents who have stayed put have said they fear looting and vandalism or they do not want to stay in a shelter.

But with the April and May flooding combined with the weeks of high water on Bear Creek, many homes south of downtown have to be getting weak with constant water pressure.

Thunderstorms are in the forecast through Saturday.

Residents who have moved out of homes seeking shelter who may owe utility bills to the Board of Public Works within days may call the board at 221-8050 to make arrangements.

Emergency support continues in the area. Twenty National Guard members were sent to LaGrange Tuesday from the 2175th Military Police Company in Hannibal for security assistance and flood control.

Most of downtown LaGrange is underwater and the rising river has forced the post office and police department to move to higher ground.

Thirty-eight soldiers from the 3175th Military Police Company in Warrenton were sent to Lincoln County for security and flood control help Thursday.

A levee burst near Winfield Saturday and sandbagging efforts continue along the entire riverfront in the county.

The river level at Lock and Dam 25 near Winfield was 35.7 feet at 10 a.m. today.

The Salvation Army has set up mobile kitchens in Hannibal, St. Charles, Quincy, Ill., and Grafton, Ill., handing out more than 5,000 meals since last week to flood victims and workers.

The mobile kitchens may become even more important if Hannibal loses power, Salvation Army Capt. John Anderson said.

Donations to support the Salvation Army relief effort may be sent to: Flood Relief, The Salvation Army, 3800 Lindell, St. Louis, Mo., 63108.

Other area river levels are 26.5 feet in Saverton, up .25; and 35.2 feet in Clarksville, up .2.

Hannibal City Council member Jim Dexheimer, 4th Ward, issued a plea to residents to help employees of the Display Center, 929 Collier St., sandbag and move equipment out of the building.

The printing company is in the path of Bear Creek flooding and is in serious danger of large losses.

Volunteers and flood victims may receive free tetanus and diphtheria inoculations at the new Hannibal Regional Hospital July 8 through July 18.

Flood conditions are often unsanitary, said Carol Jaco, vice president for patient care services, and carry the threat of tetanus and diphtheria. People who need the free inoculations should identify themselves as flood victims or volunteers.

In Shelby County, the North River and the north fork of the Salt River are very high, according to the sheriffıs office. However, no roads were closed in the county this morning.

Northeast Missouri remains all but cut off from the east side of the Mississippi River. Bridges at Hannibal, Louisiana, Keokuk, Iowa, Alexandria and one of two bridges at West Quincy remain closed. Only the Bayview Bridge at West Quincy remains open, and there is a threat of that bridge closing if a levee around the closed Quincy Memorial Bridge gives way.

The closest open bridges across the Mississippi River are in Fort Madison, Iowa, and Alton, Ill., near St. Louis. The toll bridge at St. Francisville over the Des Moines River was open this morning.

In Hannibal, the river has been above the technical flood stage of 16 feet everyday since April 1, 98 consecutive days. The closest the river has come to dropping to flood stage since then is 16.2 feet June 5. The river began a slow rise after that.

During the Great Flood of 1973, the river was above technical flood stage for 97 days. Ironically, the river dropped below 16 feet on ³Salute to Flood Fighters Day² in downtown Hannibal June 15, 1973.