7/26/93
By: Brien Murphy
Courier-Post Staff Writer

The Mississippi River quietly climbed past 31 feet Thursday to a crest today in Hannibal as area levees survived another night and city efforts slowed down ­ a little.

The river level in Hannibal was at 31.3 feet at 9 a.m. today, holding almost steady from the 31.2 reading at 9 p.m. Thursday.

The National Weather Service in St. Louis reported the river was cresting this morning and is expected to begin falling very, very slowly this weekend.

The river also crested in Keokuk, Iowa, and Quincy, Ill., this morning, according to the weather service.

The mood at the Hannibal command post at City Hall was calm but cautious again Thursday night and this morning. Sandbaggers under the Third Street viaduct were sent home about 9 p.m. Thursday when officials in West Quincy reported they had enough sandbags to get through the night.

Sandbagging efforts began again this morning.

John Hark, emergency management director, said, "this is what we've been preparing for. This is when we really have to be on our toes."

Hark said being prepared was key to preventing further disaster.

The city, among other projects, built up the levee protecting pumps that send drinking water to the filter plant, put all police officers on 12-hour shifts, made sure sandbags were available and extended the ends of the Hannibal levee.

Help for Hannibal came from Shelbina, Mexico, Farber, Vandalia, Monroe City and other places. Hark said tourists even helped as they drove through town.

Fire Chief Roy Hark said the boat available for moving people in and out of flooded areas has not been used much in recent days. "Most people who wanted to get out are out," he said. The boat will remain available at Fire Station No. 1 in case it is needed.

Still, city officials are nervous because "we've never seen anything like this before," Hark said.

A few Hannibal merchants decided to close temporarily "just in case," according to some handwritten signs hanging in doorways. Seven businesses on Main Street, Broadway and Hill Street were closed at least a portion of Thursday afternoon because of flooding or the threat of flooding.

Outside the flood levee near Bear Creek, residents whose homes are under water are persevering despite the feeling they are being ignored, a resident of South Arch Street said today.

Elizabeth Powell, whose home is about half a block from the water, said except for the Salvation Army and tourists, few people have paid attention to flooding around Bear Creek.

And residents of the neighborhood don't want to leave, she said, despite some homes where nothing but roofs and chimneys poke out over the water.

She said police boat patrols are few and the media have all but ignored the other side of the flood levee.

"All they show is Mark Twain up there," she said. "There are people here who are in a lot of trouble."

And West Quincy levee officials requested more sandbags this morning in their effort to keep the Bayview Bridge open.

The levee was still holding this morning, according to the Marion County Sheriff's office, although it was the site of much activity as crews and volunteers try to keep seepage under control.

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, all levee workers can do now is patch seepage spots and repair any problems.

Local and emergency traffic may cross the bridge, but cross-country drivers and sightseers are being turned away at the U.S. 61/U.S. 24 junction.

In Canton, the situation was more like Hannibal's as the levee held overnight and the river barely rose between 8 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. today.

The river level was at 27 feet today in Canton, up from 26.98 Thursday evening.

The town levee, protecting the 2,600-resident community, again survived the night. National Guard members and residents continue patrolling the levee.

The Missouri National Guard reported no major incidents in the area overnight. Guard members were sent to help sandbag in West Quincy. Nearly 600 soldiers are on duty in Northeast Missouri.

Across the river at the Sny Island levee, crews are keeping an eye on East Hannibal, Ill., and the north part of the levee, according to the Corps of Engineers.

Again, there is little left to do but patch leaks and control seepage, according to the Corps.

In Clarksville, two inches of rain fell Thursday, according to Lock and Dam 24, and water fell on the wrong side of sandbag bunkers protecting many of the homes and businesses on the east side of town.

The river level in Clarksville was up to 37.5 feet today up from 36.7 feet Thursday. The predicted crest is 38 feet Saturday.

Clarksville residents remain under a boil order for drinking and cooking water.

In Lincoln County, the Mississippi River is inching closer to Elsberry each hour, according to the sheriff's office.

The river level at Lock and Dam 25 in Winfield was 38.1 feet this morning, up from 37.6 feet Thursday. The river is expected to crest at 38.5 feet Sunday in Winfield.

The Cuivre River also is out of its banks again near Troy. No roads have been closed, but fields near the river are being flooded, according to the sheriff's office.

The number of people who have lost property or businesses because of flooding is close to 2,500 statewide, according to statistics from the Federal Emergency Management Administration.

During the first five days of President Bill Clinton's disaster declaration, almost 1,760 people applied for housing assistance because of flooding; 556 applied for disaster-related expenses; and the Small Business Administration issued 1,630 applications for low-interest loans.

The Marion County Red Cross shelter at the old Hannibal Regional Hospital at 109 Virginia St. has 77 people staying, according to Red Cross statistics. Almost 200 people have sought shelter with the Red Cross in Missouri and Illinois.

Nearly 1,000 Red Cross workers and volunteers are helping flood victims in the two states.