DISASTER Severe floods hit Missouri as U.S. storms sweep north

[Housecarl]

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-weather-storm-idUSKBN0UC0PD20151229

US | Tue Dec 29, 2015 3:58pm EST
Related: U.S., Environment, Natural Disasters

Severe floods hit Missouri as U.S. storms sweep north

KANSAS CITY, Mo./CHICAGO | By Kevin Murphy and Mary Wisniewski

Missouri residents struggled through a fourth straight day of storms on Tuesday, fighting floodwaters that inundated homes, forced evacuations and closed highways and even part of the Mississippi River.

A week of chaotic weather continued throughout the United States as a storm system that created deadly tornadoes in the Midwest and Southwest pushed north. More than 40 people have died of weather-related causes during the Christmas holidays in the past week.

In Missouri, which has been pounded by days of downpours, residents of the small city of West Alton, about 20 miles (32 km) north of St. Louis and at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, were told to evacuate on Tuesday due to rising waters, county officials said.

Video taken from helicopters by local media showed homes in West Alton with water almost to roof level. Several shops, a McDonald's restaurant and a filling station were also partially covered.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon called out the state's national guard to protect communities and support emergency response personnel. Their duties also were to include providing security in evacuated areas and directing traffic from road closures.

"These citizen soldiers will provide much-needed support to state and local first responders, many of whom have spent the last several days working around the clock responding to record rainfall and flooding," Nixon said in a statement.

The floods also caused the closure of hundreds of roads across Missouri, including in St. Louis and Interstate 44 near Rolla, officials said.


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In his statement, Nixon reiterated a call for motorists never to drive around barricades or into standing water.

The U.S. Coast Guard had to close a 5-mile (8 km) section of the Mississippi River near St. Louis to all vessel traffic because the rising river levels created hazardous conditions.


Related Video

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U.S. Northeast braces for snow

MISSISSIPPI TO CREST FRIDAY

The National Weather Service (NWS) predicted the Mississippi River at the Chester, Illinois, gauge, will crest at 49.7 feet (15.1 meters) on Friday – matching the record from 1993, Nixon's office said.

Elsewhere in the nation's midsection, parts of eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas and Illinois also were under flood warnings and flood watches on Tuesday. Up to a foot (30 cm) of snow was forecast for Iowa and the Great Lakes region, NWS forecasters said.

The severe weather has stranded tens of thousands of air travelers during one of busiest travel periods of the year. As of 3 p.m. EST (2000 GMT) on Tuesday, more than 1,200 flights had been canceled in the United States and about 3,800 were delayed. About 2,900 flights were canceled on Monday, according to FlightAware.com.

Delays also were expected on roads, the weather forecasting site AccuWeather said.

In an apparent weather-related incident, singer Craig Strickland, 29, of the country-rock band Backroad Anthem was missing. His friend's body was found in an Oklahoma lake after their boat capsized while duck hunting in bad weather, officials said.

Adding to the misery, the U.S. Geological Survey reported that two mild earthquakes - 4.1 and 3.4 magnitude - rattled central Oklahoma early on Tuesday, causing power outages in an area already hit by winter storms.

The Northeast, which had unusually warm temperatures over Christmas, was getting its first major snow and ice of the season, with significant snowfall in upstate New York and New England. The busy corridor from New York City to Washington, D.C., could expect sleet and rain through midday Tuesday, the NWS said.

In Chicago, more than 245 flights were canceled on Tuesday at O'Hare International Airport, the country's second busiest airport and a hub for both United and American Airlines. The storm also led to 150 flight cancellations at Toronto Pearson, Canada's busiest airport, Monday and Tuesday.

The low-pressure storm system created blizzard conditions in New Mexico and western Texas.


(Additional reporting by Victoria Cavaliere in Los Angeles, Heide Brandes in Oklahoma City, and Euan Roche in Toronto; Writing by Mary Wisniewski and Daniel Wallis; Editing by Bill Trott)

 

[Housecarl]

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.startribune.com/latest-high-water-causes-failure-at-wastewater-plant/363724051/

Business

The Latest: Corps of Engineers releases record amount of water from dam to drop lake level

By The Associated Press Associated Press

December 29, 2015 — 3:55pm

ST. LOUIS — The latest developments on flooding in the Midwest (all times local):

3:45 p.m.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it is releasing a record amount of water from the Table Rock Lake dam in response to recent flooding.

The Corps says it was releasing 72,000 cubic feet of water per second on Tuesday. The previous record was 69,000 cubic feet per second during floods in 2011.

The Springfield News-Leader reports (http://sgfnow.co/1TocfR0 ) that means nearly 539,000 gallons are going out of the dam into Lake Taneycomo every second.

Corps spokesman Miles Brown says the lake is still rising, causing more water to rush through 10 spillway gates and the hydropower turbines. He says the Corps currently doesn't plan to open more floodgates.

The flooding has not affected the Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery directly below Table Rock dam.

___

The body of a Kansas man who drowned during flooding in southwest Missouri has been recovered.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. John Lueckenhoff says the body of 30-year-old Christopher William Forman, of Erie, Kansas, was recovered Tuesday from the Spring River.


Forman's body was found one-third of a mile downstream from where his truck left a county road early Monday north of Carl Junction in Jasper County. Lueckenhoff says Forman drove into high waters and troopers saw him swept away as they were rescuing another driver.

Forman is one of 13 flood-related deaths reported since the weekend. Gov. Jay Nixon's office has said 12 of the victims were in vehicles that drove into flooded roadways.

Lueckenhoff says searches continue for two other suspected drowning victims in Pulaski and Polk counties.

___

2:10 p.m.


Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has called in the National Guard to assist with flood-fighting efforts.

Nixon says guard members will be used to assist first responders in providing security in evacuated areas, and to help direct traffic away from road closures. Roads are closed in nearly 500 locations across the state.

___

1:30 p.m.

Several businesses are flooded in the eastern Missouri town of Union after a small river raged out of control.


The Bourbeuse (BURR-bus) River reached an all-time high Tuesday, nearly 20 feet above flood stage. Stephanie Norton of the Franklin County Emergency Management Agency says no one has been killed or injured. However, water is near the roofs of a McDonald's, QuikTrip and several other businesses that sit near the normally docile river.

The Bourbeuse is among several smaller rivers in eastern Missouri that are seeing record or close-to-record flooding. The Meramec River in the St. Louis area is nearly 30 feet above flood stage in some spots, forcing scattered evacuations and the closure of several roads.

___

12 p.m.

The U.S. Coast Guard has closed a portion of the Mississippi River near St. Louis due to flooding.


The river was shut down Tuesday to all vessel traffic from mile marker 179 to mile marker 184.

Capt. Martin Malloy cited high water levels and fast currents as the river continues to approach near-record levels in St. Louis.

The Mississippi River is a vital transportation hub for barges that carry agricultural products and other goods.

___

11:45 a.m.


Thirteen flood-related deaths have now been confirmed in Missouri.

Gov. Jay Nixon announced the new total during a visit Tuesday to Perry County, where a record crest along the Mississippi River is predicted.

Nixon did not give details about the latest confirmed fatalities, but said nearly all of those who died in Missouri were in vehicles that drove onto flooded roadways.

He urged motorists to stay away from roads with even low levels of water because fast-moving current can push cars and trucks off the roadway.

Previously, 10 deaths from flooding had been reported.


___

11:20 a.m.

Water has come over the levee protecting the St. Louis-area town of West Alton, Missouri.

The mayor on Tuesday ordered anyone who has not yet evacuated to get out.

About 520 people live in West Alton, a Mississippi River town about 20 miles north of St. Louis. Mayor William Richter urged evacuations over the weekend after it became clear the river would rise so high that the levee couldn't hold back the water.


West Alton is near the convergence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.

___

10:45 a.m.

Rising water from the Mississippi River has Illinois corrections officials preparing for possible flooding at a prison in the southern part of the state with nearly 3,700 inmates.

Illinois Department of Corrections spokeswoman Nicole Wilson says that employees and emergency work crews at the Menard Correctional Center near Chester are filling sandbags and "working around the clock" as the nearby floodwaters continue to rise.


The maximum security prison is on lockdown, and visits have been suspended.

Officials also anticipate having to bring in hundreds of portable toilets in case the prison's water service is shut down.

___

10:15 a.m.

A search has resumed in northern Oklahoma for a country singer from Arkansas who went missing along with a friend while duck hunting in severe weather.


Oklahoma Highway Patrol Capt. Paul Timmons said Tuesday that authorities had returned to Kay County in northern Oklahoma where 29-year-old Craig Strickland of Springdale, Arkansas, went missing on Sunday.

On Monday, troopers recovered the body of Strickland's hunting companion, Chase Morland, from a Kaw Lake.

Timmons says the remote location coupled with recent heavy rains have complicated the search effort.

Strickland is the lead singer of the Arkansas-based country-rock band Backroad Anthem.

The weekend storms are blamed for at least three deaths in Oklahoma and more than 100 injuries, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health.


___

9:40 a.m.

Crews have resumed searching for an international soldier missing from central Missouri's Fort Leonard Wood.

He is one of several people missing after heavy rains caused extensive flooding. Recovery efforts also are underway in Polk and Jasper counties.

The soldier was last seen with four other international soldiers who drowned Saturday night when their vehicle was swept off a Pulaski County road. Sheriff Ron Long said Tuesday that the search is focused on that area.


Fort Leonard Wood says the soldiers were part of a program that brings troops from other countries to the installation to study. Their names and where they are from hasn't been released.

Two other people also drowned in Pulaski County after a second vehicle was swept away, also on Saturday.

___

9:30 a.m.

More than 100 volunteers have turned out in blustery cold weather to fill sandbags in St. Louis, where a flooded waterway threatened hundreds of homes.


City workers directed the volunteers Tuesday morning along the River Des Peres, a man-made storm sewer channel that flows into the Mississippi River a few miles south of the Anheuser-Busch brewery.

Alderman Larry Arnowitz was among the volunteers. He says that the predicted crest of nearly 15 feet above flood stage could damage up to 500 homes, though he believes that with no new rain predicted and volunteers' help, most should remain dry.

The sandbags will be piled together in a low-lying area near Interstate 55.

___

9:15 a.m.


A wastewater treatment plant has stopped operating near St. Louis, causing sewage to go directly into nearby rivers and streams.

The Metropolitan Sewer District of St. Louis said Tuesday that recent heavy rainfall and the flooding on the Meramec River are the apparent cause of problems at the Fenton wastewater treatment plant. The plant stopped operating Monday night.

Utility officials said the plant is designed for 6.75 million gallons per day of flow, but was treating nearly 24 million gallons per day at the time of the malfunction.

The public is urged to avoid contact with floodwater or sewage in low-lying flooded areas near the plant. It isn't clear when the plant would start operating again.

 

[Housecarl]

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.komu.com/news/gov-nixon-mobilizes-national-guard-in-response-to-floods/

Gov. Nixon mobilizes National Guard in response to floods

Posted: Dec 29, 2015 2:21 PM by Alex Dostaler, KOMU 8 Digital Producer
Updated: Dec 29, 2015 3:50 PM

JEFFERSON CITY - Gov. Jay Nixon has called on the Missouri National Guard to protect Missourians and support emergency response personnel.

The Guard's responsibilities will include providing security in evacuated areas and directing traffic from road closures. Gov. Nixon declared a state of emergency in Missouri due to heavy rain and flooding. As a result of this severe and prolonged storm system, river levels in some locations are predicted to exceed the historic crests during the Great Flood of 1993 and the state is working closely with local officials to prepare and respond.

"As rivers rise to record levels, we are continuing to support Missouri communities and protect public safety during this historic flooding event," Gov. Nixon said.
Guard responsibilities will include directing traffic away from road closures and providing security around breached levees and evacuated areas. Flooding has already led to the evacuation of West Alton and caused hundreds of road closures across Missouri, including in St. Louis and all lanes of I-44 at Jerome near Rolla.

The Governor reiterated his call for motorists to never drive around barricades or into standing water on roadways. There have been a total of 13 flood-related deaths in Missouri, 12 of which were caused by vehicles being swept from flooded roadways.

As part of the state's ongoing emergency response efforts, Gov. Nixon and members of his state emergency management team today met with local officials in Perry County and will meet later with experts at the National Weather Service (NWS) Forecast Office in St. Charles County to prepare for record high river levels.

"All of us remember the devastating impact of the Great Flood of 1993 and that's why we have been working proactively with our local and federal partners to prepare and respond," Gov. Nixon said.

NWS officials predict the Mississippi River at the Chester, Ill., gauge, across the river from Perry County, will crest at 49.7 feet on Friday - matching the previous record set in 1993. The local levee district in Perryville has been working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fortify the Bois Brule levee to protect area homes and businesses, including Sabreliner Corporation and Gilster-Mary Lee.

In addition, the Mississippi River at Thebes south of Cape Girardeau is expected to crest at 47.5 feet on Saturday, nearly two feet above the previous record. Other rivers are also predicted to reach historic highs. For example, the Meramec River at Valley Park is forecast to crest at a record 42 feet.

Missourians who need disaster information, shelter information, and referrals are urged to call 211.

You also can keep up with the latest road closures by viewing MoDOT's road conditions map on our website. You can view current weather conditions on our Live Doppler 8 First Alert Weather Radar any time.

 

[mzkitty]

The flooding is unfortunately in places all over the world.


8m
Video: Flood gates at the Table Rock Dam in Branson, Mo., are opened - Instagram's brookie_leigh83

https://www.instagram.com/p/_1_Eb9wlPU/


Worst flooding in the last 50 years hits Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and Brasil http://dlvr.it/D7h34R


1h
Update: Search teams in Crocker, Mo., find body of 5th soldier washed away by weekend flooding - @kytv


46m
There are currently 36 flood warnings & 14 flood alerts in place across Scotland - @ScottishEPA


2h
'Freak' storm expected to hit Iceland tonight - @IcelandMonitor

http://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/news/2015/12/29/freak_storm_to_hit_iceland_tonight/


1h
Photo: 18th century bridge in Tadcaster, England, collapses from flooding - @TelegraphNews

 

[Housecarl]

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.wsj.com/articles/flooding-threatens-missouri-illinois-1451426380

U.S.

Flooding Threatens Missouri, Illinois

At least 18 deaths reported in Midwest as foot of rain fall in days

By Kris Maher
Dec. 29, 2015 4:59 p.m. ET
0 COMMENTS

Rare winter flooding hit sections of the Mississippi River on Tuesday, topping a levee near St. Louis, threatening hundreds of homes and shutting parts of two interstate highways.

Heavy rains from a storm system that devastated towns in Texas over the weekend with tornadoes caused rivers to rise to unusual levels in parts of Missouri and Illinois more accustomed to flooding in the spring when snows typically melt.

At least 18 deaths have been blamed on flooding in Missouri and Illinois. Flooding was expected to continue over the next week, working its way toward Arkansas and Mississippi.

On Tuesday, crews piled sandbags along the Mississippi River, which is expected to crest outside St. Louis this week at levels topped only once before, in the record flood of 1993, according to the National Weather Service. The Coast Guard closed a portion of the river to all vessels Tuesday because of high water and fast currents.

The mayor of West Alton, Mo., outside St. Louis, ordered the town’s 520 residents to evacuate after a levee was breached and floodwaters rose to some houses. Flooding shut a wastewater plant, causing sewage to spill into rivers. Some bridges were closed, and sections of Interstate 44 in Phelps County, Mo., were shut.

“There’s going to be a lot of property loss, and in many areas it’s a flood of record,” said Mark Fuchs, a service hydrologist with the National Weather Service in St. Louis.

In St. Louis, where river measurements date to the 1860s, the Mississippi was expected to crest at 43.7 feet later this week, or about 15 feet above flood stage—second only to the 49.6 feet recorded on Aug. 1, 1993.

Nearly 12 inches of rain have fallen over the past three days in areas of Missouri and Illinois. The ground was already saturated, which caused rivers to swell quickly. On Tuesday, the Bourbeuse River, which flows into the Meramec River in east-central Missouri, was already at a record flood level.

Some communities along the Mississippi and its tributaries were expected to fare better than others, depending on whether they have installed levees or flood walls.

Write to Kris Maher at kris.maher@wsj.com

 

[Sleeping Cobra]

Mississippi River Flood Crest May Be Highest in 22 Years in St. Louis; Record Crest Possib

9 hours 48 min ago

Stretches of the Mississippi River may see flood crests at or above levels set during the 1993 and 1973 floods in the coming days, as swollen tributaries from torrential post-Christmas weekend rain pour into the river.

(MORE: Severe T-Storm/Flood Forecast | Tornadoes, Midwest Flooding Latest News)

According to the National Weather Service's North Central River Forecast Center, the Mississippi River at St. Louis is expected to crest Thursday at its second highest level, topping the April 28, 1973 flood crest (43.2 feet), but still well short of the record 1993 crest (49.6 feet).

The latest river stage observation and forecast for the Mississippi River at St. Louis. A river stage of 30 feet or more corresponds to flood stage at this location. (NOAA)

Overtopping of the Choteau Island, Harrisonville and Columbia levees is expected, given the flood forecast. Choteau Island, located about 8 miles north of downtown St. Louis, may see its pump station flood by Thursday.

The St. Louis flood wall, as well as the Metro East St. Louis and Fish Lake levees protect the area to a river stage of 54 feet, which is 4.4 feet above the 1993 record crest and, therefore, will not be threatened by this flood crest.

Downstream, a record crest is possible at Chester, Illinois, late this week, nearing or topping the 1993 crest, which would overtop the Stringtown, Prairie DuRocher, Degognia and Fountain Bluff levees, and come within inches of the levee protecting Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, built in 2001.

A crest near or exceeding the 1993 record is also possible at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, on New Year's Day or the following weekend.

The river reached the 42-foot stage Tuesday at which point the National Weather Service says homes and structures in southern Cape Girardeau County would be inundated or cut off due to backwater flooding from the Diversion Channel. In addition, evacuations may be required.

(INTERACTIVE MAP: Current Flood Alerts)

River Flood Warnings

River Flood Warnings

River flood warnings, shown in light green, in the mid-Mississippi River Valley

That crest will then, after combining with the rain-swollen Ohio River, move downstream into the Mid-South and Lower Mississippi Valleys later next week and into mid-January.

Below are links to some current point forecasts for the swollen Mississippi River from the National Weather Service downstream from the Ohio River confluence. Note for these locations, long-range flood forecasts are subject to uncertainty both in magnitude and timing.

Memphis: Crest late next week, possibly higher than 1997 and 1973 floods, but well below 2011 and 1937 floods.
Vicksburg, Mississippi: Crest in mid-January may exceed 1973 flood, but well below 2011 and 1927 floods. Some flooding of city streets and businesses possible.
Natchez, Mississippi: Crest around MLK holiday may top 1937 flood, but should remain below 2011 record flood. Flooding of Ft. Adams likely.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Crest during MLK week comparable or just below May 2011 flood possible. Areas outside of levee protection may flood. Shipping and industrial activities may be significantly impacted.

(WUNDERGROUND BLOG: Historic Mississippi River Flood Imminent)
Unusual December Deluges the Tipping Point

"This is probably one of the earliest (times) we've seen flooding on the Mississippi River," said Marty Pope, senior service hydrologist with the National Weather Service office in Jackson, Mississippi, during a Monday news conference with Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant.

The large majority of the highest crests in the middle and Lower Mississippi Valley have occurred either in spring or summer, the result of heavy rainfall and also a contribution from spring snowmelt.

This strange December/January flood was fueled by several events.

First, Winter Storm Bella was either a record or near-record November snowstorm in parts of the Upper Mississippi Valley prior to Thanksgiving. That snowpack melted within days, adding some volume to tributaries and main-stem rivers.

Then came December's soakings.

Winter Storm Echo brought heavy snow to the West and parts of the Plains states, but to the east, a soaking rain fell from east Texas up the Mississippi Valley. Des Moines, Iowa, picked up 3.78 inches of rain from December 12-14.

The torrential rain the week after Christmas was the final tipping point. Parts of the Ozarks picked up over 10 inches of rain, mainly in 36 hours or less.

December 2015 estimated rainfall over the Mississippi River basin as of Dec. 28, 2015.

Among the locations topping their wettest Decembers include:

Des Moines, Iowa: Previous record was 3.72 inches in 1931
Ft. Smith, Arkansas: Previous record was 10.09 inches in 1971
Lincoln, Nebraska: Previous record was 4.03 inches in 1913
St. Louis, Missouri: Previous record was 7.82 inches in 1982
Springfield, Missouri: Previous record was 11.02 inches in 1895

All this water had to go somewhere.

Over 400 river gauges are either reporting flooding or expected to rise above flood stage the next few days, according to the National Weather Service, from Texas to Ohio and Mississippi to Virginia.

Other locations that either have or are forecast to set or approach record flood crests include:

Illinois River near Tahlequah, Oklahoma: Crushed previous record from May 10, 1950 by almost 3 feet.
Illinois River near Watts, Oklahoma: Topped previous record from April 26, 2011
Shoal Creek near Joplin, Missouri: Clobbered previous record of 18.81 feet (Oct. 10, 2009) by 4.6 feet on Dec. 27
Sac River near Caplinger Mills, Missouri: Crested at 30.83 feet which is just short of the record 31 feet from Apr. 12, 1994 (period of record only to 1974)
Meramec River near Arnold, Missouri: Current record is from August 1993 flood

Also, the Red River near De Kalb, Texas may go into major flood stage for the third time this year. That hadn't occurred more than once in any other year dating to at least 1908.

Any heavy rain through the middle of next week should remain pinned near the Gulf Coast or Southeast U.S., rather than soaking the waterlogged mid-Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley and Ozarks.

So, as we head into one of the coldest months of the year, river flooding will be a topic to follow into at least the third week of January.

http://www.weather.com/news/news/mississippi-river-flooding-december-2015

 

[Sleeping Cobra]

http://www.weather.com/news/news/mississippi-river-flooding-december-2015

 

[Sleeping Cobra]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBtSUaexdAI

Flooding in Missouri prompts evacuations

 

[Sleeping Cobra]

 

[Sleeping Cobra]

 

[mzkitty]

45m
Significant flooding reported on Illinois River - @NWSChicago

Map:

http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/forecasts.php?wfo=LOT

 

[nchomemaker]

My son is in St. Charles. Anyone from there that can keep me updated, I would appreciate it. I cannot correspond with him other than letters sent snail mail as he is incarcerated. I wonder if they will have to evacuate.

 

[night driver]

Start comparing to '93, you are sayin something.

Remember that Dubuque and several points NORTH were Gulf Ports.

 

[mzkitty]

18m
State prison near Menard, Ill., on lockdown, some inmates being moved due to flooding risks - @chicagotribune

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...t-midwest-storms-flooding-20151229-story.html


2m
Enbridge halts operations on oil pipeline crossing Mississippi River due to floods - @Reuters
End of alert

 

[rafter]

Pictures of flood in Missouri.

Pix 1. Jenkins bridge in Barry County

Pix 2. Little Sugar Creek

Pix 3. Welcome to Noel.

 

[rafter]

Pix 1. Lanagan
Pix 2. Road to Oronogo
Pix 3. Noel

 

[rafter]

Pix 1.Kozy Kamp. Maybe not so cozy right now

Pix 2. South side of Branson Landing

Pix 3. Near Lebanon and Bennett Springs State Park

 

[packyderms_wife]

Start comparing to '93, you are sayin something.

Remember that Dubuque and several points NORTH were Gulf Ports.

Yes, we are watching this up here, before we got the big snow on Christmas Eve, and again yesterday, we've had a LOT of rain for the month of December. Rivers up here are high for this time of year. If Ole Miss seriously backs up then the Des Moines, Missouri, and the Skunk Rivers will start backing up. What a mess.

 

[rafter]

Pix 1.Republic Ford

Pix 2. River Ranch Resort, Noel Mo

Pix 3.Same canoe rental NRO only more water.

 

[rafter]

Table Rock Dam all flood gates open.

 

[CnMO]

My son is in St. Charles. Anyone from there that can keep me updated, I would appreciate it. I cannot correspond with him other than letters sent snail mail as he is incarcerated. I wonder if they will have to evacuate.

It would depend on where your son lives in St. Charles... If he is in the St. Charles County Jail, and that's the only jail in St. Charles, it is located on 2nd Street, That's 2 streets up from the Mo. River, he has a great view.,, jail is on a bluff, water will not reach the jail.

St. Charles had 11.5 inches of rain in 2 days... it was non-stop raining.

Interstate I- 70 was closed in St. Charles, Sat- Mon. Never happened before.

Most of Northern St. Charles is all flooded,,,,, Mo. MS, and IL Rivers-- all 3 come together in that area.

South Hwy 94 is closed.

All kinds of other secondary roads are closed.,,, Due to flooding of small creeks. and sewers clogged , they couldn't hold the water run off.

Subdivision lakes are flooding out homes. These lakes which are very common in subdivisions around St. Charles, are flooded, berms are breaking, or overflowing.

Many basements are flooded in homes, even homes on hills,,, homes that aren't even close to a creek.

----------

Interstate I-44 will be closed in southern St. Louis County, for the next 2 days. Because of record crest of Meramec River.

 

[brokenwings]

You don't have to worry about your son. The jail is high and dry. The water won't even get to Main St. which is much lower and a block closer than the jail. It won't even hit record highs in St. Charles. I live in the area so I went thru the 93 flood there in St. Charles. The jail was dry then too.

My son is in St. Charles. Anyone from there that can keep me updated, I would appreciate it. I cannot correspond with him other than letters sent snail mail as he is incarcerated. I wonder if they will have to evacuate.

 

[TerriHaute]

I wonder if all the extra weight from the massive amount of water will stress the New Madrid fault.

 

[dieseltrooper]

Swell time for a catastrophic New Madrid quake...

 

[TammyinWI]

I wonder if all the extra weight from the massive amount of water will stress the New Madrid fault.

Oh! Good point! Let's hope not.

 

[Orion Commander]

Someone tell me again why my city leaders are allowing building in the local flood plain? The Skunk drains into the Des Moines which drains into the Mississippi.

 

[nchomemaker]

He is in the St. Charles County jail. Thank you, you have put my mind at ease.

It would depend on where your son lives in St. Charles... If he is in the St. Charles County Jail, and that's the only jail in St. Charles, it is located on 2nd Street, That's 2 streets up from the Mo. River, he has a great view.,, jail is on a bluff, water will not reach the jail.

St. Charles had 11.5 inches of rain in 2 days... it was non-stop raining.

Interstate I- 70 was closed in St. Charles, Sat- Mon. Never happened before.

Most of Northern St. Charles is all flooded,,,,, Mo. MS, and IL Rivers-- all 3 come together in that area.

South Hwy 94 is closed.

All kinds of other secondary roads are closed.,,, Due to flooding of small creeks. and sewers clogged , they couldn't hold the water run off.

Subdivision lakes are flooding out homes. These lakes which are very common in subdivisions around St. Charles, are flooded, berms are breaking, or overflowing.

Many basements are flooded in homes, even homes on hills,,, homes that aren't even close to a creek.

----------

Interstate I-44 will be closed in southern St. Louis County, for the next 2 days. Because of record crest of Meramec River.

 

[nchomemaker]

Thank you so much.

You don't have to worry about your son. The jail is high and dry. The water won't even get to Main St. which is much lower and a block closer than the jail. It won't even hit record highs in St. Charles. I live in the area so I went thru the 93 flood there in St. Charles. The jail was dry then too.

 

[Reborn]

I wonder if all the extra weight from the massive amount of water will stress the New Madrid fault.

That's been on my mind all day today. I sure hope not. It's bad enough right now.

 

[Housecarl]

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/30/us/severe-weather-us/

Floodwaters push rivers higher; Mississippi overtops levee in Missouri

By Ben Brumfield, CNN
Updated 8:41 AM ET, Wed December 30, 2015 | Video Source: CNN

Video

Are you within sight of floodwater? Share your photos, videos here or post them on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #CNNWeather. The weather can be unpredictable and dangerous, so please be safe.


(CNN)¡XEven if it doesn't rain another drop in Missouri, Kathy Wunderlich's home in West Alton may still get flooded.

Recent deluges have engulfed towns, homes, fields and roads in deadly floodwater. Though the storms are gone, the rivers have kept rising from Texas to Illinois.

In West Alton, runoff pushed the Mississippi River over the levees on Tuesday, and Wunderlich was headed for higher ground with her belongings in tow.

"We emptied out our basement of anything important, which is strictly storage anyway. We cleaned out the house of clothes. Things that can't be replaced. Important pieces of furniture," she told CNN affiliate KMOV.

400 gauges over flood stage

Though Wunderlich's situation appears acute, she is one of 17 million people nationwide that the National Weather Service said are living in areas where there are flood warnings.

Throughout the country's midsection about 400 river gauges are over flood stage, with around 45 showing major flooding, the National Weather Service said.

Many of those are in or around St. Louis. Some rivers and streams have already crested, and some haven't yet, like the Mississippi. It is expected to reach its peak late Wednesday or early Thursday in Missouri along with other area streams.

Missouri will still have "major to historic river flooding through early next week," the National Weather Service's St. Louis office said. "Record crests expected on area rivers the next several days."

State of emergency

"We've never seen water this high," Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon told CNN's "New Day." "The Meramec River is going to be 4 feet over its historic level."

At its peak, the Mississippi should be at its highest level ever, Nixon said, beating the highest level of the great flood of 1993.

"That's why we've got a state of emergency," he said. But it is expected to drain off rapidly, so he is hopeful the cleanup phase will begin soon.

The town of Union is already moving into cleanup mode.

"The river crested (there) yesterday," said emergency manager Russell Ross. Floodwater has receded from a major highway there, but it is yet to be reopened, as it needs to be checked over.


Water creeping up the sandbags


Nixon has activated the National Guard to aid first responders and provide security in evacuated areas. And residents have volunteered by the dozens to fill sandbags and then pass them hand to hand to be transported or laid in place.

Late Tuesday, the Mississippi's waters were already creeping up the sandbags laid out to protect the town of Alton, Illinois, which lies across the river from West Alton, Missouri.

Downstream, in Illinois, a prison has been partially evacuated. Menard Correctional Center is on the banks of the Mississippi, and the staff anticipates minor flooding in some of its cells when the river crests.

Nearly 50 killed

Storms have been blamed for roughly 49 deaths this past week across the country. Thirteen died in Missouri, 11 in the Dallas area, five in southern Illinois, five in Oklahoma and at least one in Georgia.

Tornadoes are being blamed for most of the deaths in Texas.

But many of the rest died after their cars were swept away by floodwater, like five international soldiers temporarily stationed in Missouri for training.

Witnesses say that they drove onto a flooded road and rushing water carried them away.

How to help victims of deadly flooding and storms

Close calls

Others came close to suffering the same fate but escaped with their lives.

In Jefferson County, south of St. Louis, rescuers pulled a man from his car stuck in floodwaters, CNN affiliate KMOV reported. He said he had not seen the water, because it was dark.

In the same county, Shelia Seaman helped a friend move his things out of the way of rising water. Then they returned to get his dog. "It was too late," she told KMOV. "We couldn't get back across the water."

The friend took a boat to try to rescue the dog, but rushing water washed the boat away. The friend survived and Seaman was able to get in touch with him. There was no word on what happened to the dog.


Blame it on El Nino


At least 69 tornadoes have touched down in the United States in just the past week, said CNN meteorologist Pedram Javaheri.

"Typically, you see about 24 for the entire month of December," he said.

But flooding causes many more deaths in the United States than tornadoes do. And there have already been about 400 reports of rivers flooding in the country.

In some places, the rainfall hasn't stopped for weeks. Portland, Oregon, and Seattle have been drenched with rain every day in December, Javaheri said.

And the United States isn't alone. The United Kingdom and South America are dealing with their own massive flooding.

Blame it on El Nino, a warming of the eastern Pacific Ocean, mainly along the equator.

El Ninos occur every two to seven years in varying intensity, and the waters of the eastern Pacific can be up to 4 degrees Celsius (7 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than usual.

The phenomenon can cause more frequent and intense storms, as well as massive economic damage, as the major El Nino in 1997-1998 did.

The damage worldwide from that El Nino was estimated at $30 billion to $45 billion, Javaheri said.

CNN's Brandon Miller, Nick Thompson, AnneClaire Stapleton, Alina Machado, Christine Sever, Amanda Watts, Keith Allen, Steve Almasy and Holly Yan contributed to this report.


„Ý

 

[Housecarl]

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.nola.com/weather/index.ssf/2015/12/floodwaters_threaten_hundreds.html

Floodwaters threaten hundreds of homes in Missouri, Illinois

By The Associated Press
on December 30, 2015 at 7:28 AM

ST. LOUIS — Federal officials were monitoring 19 vulnerable levees on the rising Mississippi River and its tributaries, warning that hundreds of homes in Illinois and Missouri could be threatened by a rare winter flood that already forced the partial closure of interstate highways and widespread evacuations.

As the swollen rivers and streams pushed to virtually unheard-of heights Tuesday (Dec. 29), an unknown number of inmates were transferred out of an Illinois state prison threatened by flooding, Illinois' governor declared disasters in seven counties and Missouri's governor activated the National Guard to help divert traffic from submerged roads.

Record flooding was projected in some Mississippi River towns after several days of torrential rain that also caused sewage to flow unfiltered into waterways.

The Meramec River near St. Louis was expected to get to more than 3 feet above the previous record by late this week.

At least 20 deaths over several days in Missouri and Illinois were blamed on flooding, mostly involving vehicles that drove onto swamped roadways.

The river on Tuesday spilled over the top of the levee at West Alton, Missouri, about 20 miles north of St. Louis. Mayor William Richter ordered any of the town's approximate 520 residents who had not already evacuated to get out of harm's way.

Across the river, in Alton, Illinois, dozens of volunteers helped place sandbags ahead of where water is expected to rise.

Mayor Brant Walker said in a statement that "even with our best efforts of sandbagging and pumping," flooding was expected at least in the basements of the downtown business district.

In another eastern Missouri town, Union, water from the normally docile Bourbeuse River reached the roofs of a McDonald's, QuikTrip and several other businesses. The river reached an all-time high Tuesday, nearly 20 feet above flood stage.

Interstate 44 was closed near the central Missouri town of Rolla, and a 10-mile section of Interstate 70 was shut down in southern Illinois before it was reopened late Tuesday afternoon. Hundreds of smaller roads and highways were also closed across the two states, and flood warnings were in effect.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon activated the National Guard to assist with security in evacuated areas and to help keep road closure sites clear.

In southern Illinois, the Department of Corrections transferred an unspecified number of inmates from a state prison to other locations because of flooding risks. The facility houses nearly 3,700 inmates.

In St. Louis, more than 500 volunteers turned out in blustery, cold conditions to fill sandbags where a flooded waterway threatened hundreds of homes. The city later trucked 1,500 of the sandbags south to a nearby county to fortify a wastewater treatment plant threatened by the swollen Big River.

The Mississippi River is expected to reach nearly 15 feet above flood stage on Thursday at St. Louis, which would be the second-worst flood on record, behind only the devastating 1993 flood.

Alderman Larry Arnowitz said up to 500 homes could be threatened if the River Des Peres — a man-made storm sewer channel that flows through south St. Louis into the Mississippi River — rises much more than projected. But he was confident that with no rain in the forecast for the next several days, and with the help of the thousands of sandbags, everything would be OK.

The high water was blamed on the shutdown of a wastewater treatment plant on Monday just south of St. Louis, causing sewage to go directly into nearby rivers and streams. The Metropolitan Sewer District of St. Louis said the Fenton wastewater treatment plant, which is designed for 6.75 million gallons per day of flow, was treating nearly 24 million gallons per day at the time of the malfunction.

One of the two wastewater plants in Springfield, Missouri, also failed, allowing partially treated sewage to flow into a river.

The U.S. Coast Guard closed a 5-mile portion of the Mississippi River near St. Louis due to flooding. Capt. Martin Malloy cited high water levels and fast currents in the river, which is a vital transportation hub for barges that carry agricultural products and other goods.

In central and southern Illinois, major flooding was occurring along the Kankakee, Illinois, Sangamon and Vermilion rivers.

In Granite City, Illinois, about 30 residents of a flooded trailer park idled in a Red Cross emergency shelter in a church basement. The park's property manager told Shirley Clark, 56, and other displaced residents that it could be another 10 to 12 days before they're able to return to their homes.

"We need help over here," said Clark, a diabetic who said she left behind her insulin supply. "We're just holding on."

 

[WalknTrot]

An awful time of year for it. If cold weather moves in, it will be a real mess.

 

[CnMO]

Trains aren't moving , rail tracks are flooded.

Barges aren't moving,, rivers to high to get under the bridges.

Water Treatment plants are flooding... no fresh water.

Sewage treatment plants are flooding, and raw sewage going into the rivers.

In the sewer and water plants the electric control rooms have 6' feet of water in them. So it will take ALONG time to get them back up and running.


I-44 is closed, the exit ramps that go down hill look like rapid white water flowing down the ramps.

 

[Countrymouse]

Swell time for a catastrophic New Madrid quake...

Didn't we have a significant one in OK just the other day?

 

[Countrymouse]

Trains aren't moving , rail tracks are flooded.

Barges aren't moving,, rivers to high to get under the bridges.

Water Treatment plants are flooding... no fresh water.

Sewage treatment plants are flooding, and raw sewage going into the rivers.

In the sewer and water plants the electric control rooms have 6' feet of water in them. So it will take ALONG time to get them back up and running.


I-44 is closed, the exit ramps that go down hill look like rapid white water flowing down the ramps.

Just last night on late-night talk radio, I heard an old guy with a country accent a mile wide (like mine) but with a ton of good sense point out that---

due to this weather, SHIPMENTS will not go through--(he was thinking of trucks on the road)

of gasoline to gas stations
of food to grocery stores

and that folks just "might want to stock up now while you can"...


Good point.

 

[Housecarl]

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.channel3000.com/news/mississippi-river-overtops-levee-in-missouri/37188804

'It wears you out,' Missourian says as flood rises

NWS: 17 million in U.S. are in flood danger

Author: By Ashley Fantz and Ben Brumfield CNN
Published On: Dec 30 2015 03:59:31 AM CST Updated On: Dec 30 2015 03:57:36 PM CST

(CNN) - Even if it doesn't rain another drop in Missouri, Kathy Wunderlich's home in West Alton may still get flooded.

Recent deluges have engulfed towns, homes, fields and roads in deadly floodwater. Though the storms are gone, the rivers have kept rising from Texas to Illinois.

In West Alton, near St. Louis, runoff pushed the Mississippi River over the levees on Tuesday, and Wunderlich was headed for higher ground with her belongings in tow.

Wednesday morning, aerial cameras captured parts of the greater St. Louis area under water. A shopping area was half submerged, a sign for a Jimmy John's sandwich shop at the top of a building still visible above the water line.

"We emptied out our basement of anything important, which is strictly storage anyway. We cleaned out the house of clothes. Things that can't be replaced. Important pieces of furniture," Wunderlich told CNN affiliate KMOV.

A visibly exhausted James Harris told KMOV that if his house floods, he's not moving back. "It wears you out," he said. "This is the last time I'm going to do this."

Early Wednesday morning, rescuers reached Jean Scott's trailer in the tiny town of Pacific, Missouri. Water was approaching her door, she said.

"They came and got us and put us in a raft and took us across the railroad tracks," Scott said.

The rescuers took her to a nursing home where "everybody is real friendly," she said.

But she worries that her home is devastated. No one has given her an update. She's also concerned about her neighbors.

"I really feel for the people. I really do. My heart goes out to them," she said, adding that she has no patience for people who take risks.

"Some of these people on the highway trying to drive through this stuff -- they're very stupid," she said.


400 gauges over flood stage

Wunderlich and Scott are among 12.1 million people nationwide living in areas where there are flood warnings, the National Weather Service said in a 3 p.m. Wednesday statement. The figure dropped from 17 million as flood warnings were canceled in parts of Missouri and Illinois.

About 20 miles of Interstate 44 have been shut down, affecting St. Louis and much of the region. Many people are in hotels and all are encouraged to stay off the roads.

Throughout the country's midsection about 400 river gauges are over flood stage, with around 45 showing major flooding, the National Weather Service said.

Many of those are in or around St. Louis. Some rivers and streams have already crested, and some haven't yet, like the Mississippi. It is expected to reach its peak late Wednesday or early Thursday in Missouri along with other area streams.

Missouri will still have "major to historic river flooding through early next week," the National Weather Service's St. Louis office said. "Record crests expected on area rivers the next several days."


State of emergency

"We've never seen water this high," Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon told CNN's "New Day." "The Meramec River is going to be 4 feet over its historic level."

At its peak, the Mississippi should be at its highest level ever, Nixon said, beating the highest level of the great flood of 1993.

"That's why we've got a state of emergency," he said. But it is expected to drain off rapidly, so he is hopeful the cleanup phase will begin soon.

The town of Union is already moving into cleanup mode.

"The river crested (there) yesterday," said emergency manager Russell Ross. Floodwater has receded from a major highway there, but it is yet to be reopened, because it needs to be checked over.

Water creeping up the sandbags

Nixon has activated the National Guard to aid first responders and provide security in evacuated areas. Residents have volunteered by the dozens to fill sandbags and then pass them hand to hand to be transported or laid in place.

The Mississippi River is already creeping up the sandbags laid out to protect the town of Alton, Illinois, which lies across the river from West Alton, Missouri.

Downstream, in Illinois, a prison has been partially evacuated. Menard Correctional Center is on the banks of the Mississippi, and the staff anticipates minor flooding in some of its cells when the river crests.

The situation is also looking desperate in Missouri's Ozarks, according to the mayor of Rockaway Beach.

"It is devastating," Don Smith said on CNN. "We are begging for help."

There are trucks in town that are completely underwater and businesses on the shore of a lake are in danger, he said. "I don't even know how we're going to deal with the cleanup process," he said. "There are condo units that are completely underwater."

Evacuations have been going smoothly, he said. But he was very concerned the flooding will get worse and the town doesn't have the capacity to protect itself.

In Louisiana, the governor declared a state of emergency in advance of floodwaters coming later in the week.


Nearly 50 killed

Storms have been blamed for roughly 49 deaths this past week across the country. Thirteen died in Missouri, 11 in the Dallas area, five in southern Illinois, five in Oklahoma and at least one in Georgia.

Tornadoes are being blamed for most of the deaths in Texas.

But many of the rest died after their cars were swept away by floodwater, like five international soldiers temporarily stationed in Missouri for training.

Witnesses say they drove onto a flooded road and rushing water carried them away.

Close calls

Others came close to suffering the same fate.

In Jefferson County, south of St. Louis, rescuers pulled a man from his car stuck in floodwaters, CNN affiliate KMOV reported. He said he had not seen the water, because it was dark.

In the same county, Shelia Seaman helped a friend move his things out of the way of rising water. Then they returned to get his dog. "It was too late," she told KMOV. "We couldn't get back across the water."

The friend took a boat to try to rescue the dog, but rushing water washed the boat away. The friend survived and Seaman was able to get in touch with him. There was no word on what happened to the dog.

Blame it on El Nino

At least 69 tornadoes have touched down in the United States in just the past week, said CNN meteorologist Pedram Javaheri.

"Typically, you see about 24 for the entire month of December," he said.

But flooding causes many more deaths in the United States than tornadoes do. And there have already been about 400 reports of rivers flooding in the country.

In some places, the rainfall hasn't stopped for weeks. Portland, Oregon, and Seattle have been drenched with rain every day in December, Javaheri said.

And the United States isn't alone. The United Kingdom and South America are dealing with their own massive flooding.

Blame it on El Nino, a warming of the eastern Pacific Ocean, mainly along the equator.

El Ninos occur every two to seven years in varying intensity, and the waters of the eastern Pacific can be up to 4 degrees Celsius (7 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than usual.

The phenomenon can cause more frequent and intense storms, as well as massive economic damage, as the major El Nino in 1997-1998 did.

The damage worldwide from that El Nino was estimated at $30 billion to $45 billion, Javaheri said.


Copyright 2015 by CNN NewSource. All rights reserved.

 

[Reborn]

This is a real mess for a whole lot of people. Reminds me so much of the same type of flooding in December 1982 here.

 

[neveser]

I did not make it in to work today because of this. The main roads that I use to get to work are all closed. At least my house is situated on high ground and don't have any water issues here. It's a huge mess out there.

 

[DannyBoy]

I-55 Closed later tonight

The last I heard, I-55 was to be closed south of STL this evening... sometime around midnight. The Meramec River is carrying more water than it ever has. A lot of areas that flooded in 1993 from water backing up the Meramec, are now flooding from the Meramec flow. And in some areas it is higher. South county area... Intersection of Highway 141 with 21 is underwater, same as 1993.

Local Fox New Bulletin at 9:45.... I-55 at Meramec Bottom Road, North bound IS closed... Two lanes of southbound is still getting through, but North is closed now. South is likely to close later.

ETA... of course, I-44 at Highway 141 in Valley Park is closed in both directions (this is the interstate which replaced Route 66 of course, the southern route across the western US) This is also due to flooding of the Meramec River... a few miles up from the Mississippi. Son is heading home is South Central MO, and has to take highway 100 out to Grays Summit... that is the detour route for all I-44 traffic.

 

[DannyBoy]

Home Depot Report

My son was at Home Depot looking for a back up for his sump pump. The one he found was dropped on the wrong shelf in a different department. There were no wet-dry vacs or fans anywhere in the store either. This was in St. Charles county, MO.