Levee breach lowers river, but record flooding still forecast
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Date: 5/3/2011 11:31:20 AM
Sender: CNN
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Levee breach lowers river but record flooding still forecast
(CNN) -- Mississippi River water flowed across some 200 square miles of fertile Missouri farmland on Tuesday, the result of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gambit to relieve unprecedented pressure on levees throughout the area by blasting a hole in one.
While the plan appeared to be working -- the Ohio River and river-level forecasts fell Tuesday -- record crests and relentless pressure from millions of gallons of water still threatened communities throughout the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys.
The Corps reported river levels had fallen more than a foot since engineers detonated explosives late Monday night, briefly illuminating the night sky like lightning and sending water coursing across farmland that Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon described as "literally the most productive part of our continent."
After the blast, the National Weather Service lowered its crest projection for the Ohio River at Smithland, Kentucky -- upriver from the levee breach -- to 55 feet from the previous 58-foot prediction. But even that forecast is more than 3 1/2 feet higher than the record set at that location in 1997, according to weather service records. Flood stage there is 40 feet.
The National Weather Service continues to predict record or near-record flooding in parts of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, western Kentucky and Tennessee, southeastern Missouri, northeastern Arkansas and later, parts of Mississippi and Louisiana.
In Illinois, the town of Cairo remained under a mandatory evacuation despite the intentional breach, while six other communities were under voluntary evacuation notices, said Patti Thompson, spokeswoman for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.
"We＇re definitely not out of the woods yet," she said. "The levees are all very saturated right now and they＇re going to continue to have a lot of pressure on them for several days."
Evacuation notices also have been posted in Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee, where rising tributaries have threatened dozens of communities.
The mayor of Dyersburg, Tennessee, urged residents of parts of his community to evacuate ahead of significant flooding there forecast for Wednesday night, and residents and officials in Paducah, Kentucky were closely watching a levee holding back the Ohio River that has showed signs of failing.
"We are in uncharted water," Paducah Mayor Bill Paxton said.
The Corps of Engineers began dismantling the levee just downriver from the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers late Monday night, setting off a series of explosions that briefly illuminated the sky like lightning. A second series of holes was blasted around midday Tuesday after a delay because of bad weather.
The Ohio River at Cairo peaked at 61.72 feet just before the blast late Monday, more than 21 feet over flood stage and the highest level on record at that location, according to the National Weather Service. By 6 a.m. Tuesday, it had fallen to 60.62 feet, according to river gauge readings provided by the corps. Even that still exceeds the previous record of 59.5 feet set in 1937, according to Weather Service records.
Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh, commander of the Corps＇ Mississippi River Valley Division made the decision to order the breach. He warned that without punching a hole in the levee, massive flooding would threaten to inundate communities throughout the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys.
"Nobody has seen this type of water in the system," he said. "This is unprecedented."
It was a controversial decision.
Missouri officials took the Corps to court over the plan, questioning the agency＇s authority to intentionally breach the levee. The state argued the floodwater would deposit silt on the 130,000-some acres, and years, along with millions of dollars, would be required to fix the damage.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene in the case on Sunday, clearing the way for Walsh＇s decision to blow the levee.
The decision set angered some Missouri residents who argued the decision would destroy their communities and provide questionable benefit. But some felt the decision was for the best.
"Yeah, we lost 135,000 acres of farm land here in Missouri," said Sikeston, Missouri, resident Patricia Mobely, who recently fled the drought and firestorms of Texas for what she thought would be a more peaceful life in the Midwest. "But how much more would we have lost if we hadn＇t done it?"
Walsh said the fate of Cairo was just one of many factors in his decision, saying he hoped the move would alleviate problems throughout the Mississippi River system. Water levels and flooding have hit record highs in many spots, putting severe strains on systems meant to prevent uncontrolled floods and the resulting loss of life and property.
He called the decision to inundate the farmland and about 100 homes "heart-wrenching."
"I＇ve been involved with flooding for 10 years and it takes a long time to recover from something like this," he said.
The governors of Illinois and Missouri said authorities in both states were prepared for the blasts and subsequent flooding, according to prepared statements.
"I urge Missourians to continue to cooperate fully with state, county and local law enforcement, as they have at every stage of this process," Nixon said. "Together, we will ensure that Missouri families stay safe in the coming days. And together, we will recover and rebuild."
A statement released by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn＇s office called the decision to breach the levee "an important step to ensure public safety as we respond to this crisis."
Even as the river was falling, Walsh did not rule out similar moves elsewhere along the Mississippi and its tributaries, saying the levee system is under unprecedented pressure and warning water levels could rise again.
"This doesn＇t end this historic flood," he said. |
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