Floodwaters Threaten Missouri, Illinois

Iowans Return To Waterlogged Homes And Business While Rivers Farther South Begin To Crest

(CBS/AP)  Floodwaters breached two levees in western Illinois on Wednesday and threatened more Mississippi River towns in Missouri, offering little reprieve for the Midwest where much of eastern Iowa was inundated by some of the worst flooding that state has seen in years.

The breaches flooded farmland near the hamlet of Meyer, Ill. and south of there in the Indian Graves levee district, Adams County Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Julie Shepard said.

Meyer, a town of 40 to 50 people, had to be evacuated, and authorities patrolled the town Wednesday morning to make sure no one was left behind, she said.

Officials monitored levees in other Mississippi River towns in Illinois and Missouri in hopes that they would hold.

Meanwhile, House leaders announced a deal that paves the way for billions of dollars in emergency flood relief for the region.

In Clarksville, Missouri - a historic artists' town of 500 between St. Louis and Hannibal, Missouri - National Guard members, inmates and students were sandbagging. Five blocks were already swamped, but volunteers were doing their best to save buildings housing the shops of artisans and craftsmen.

"We fix one thing and it breaks," Mayor Jo Anne Smiley said. "Sewers are plugged up. We have leaks in walls and people who need things. We're boating in food to people."

What started as a rescue mission became 500,000 sandbags of salvation, reports CBS News correspondent Cynthia Bowers.

Even after a devastating flood in 1993, Clarksville residents refused to move to higher ground - to instead live up to its motto: "Touch the Mississippi."

They stayed despite intense pressure from the federal government which spent more than $4 billion in 12,000 flood mitigation projects that included buying up low-lying land and homes in dozens of counties across nine states, reports Bowers. Even with all that's been done, the levee systems remain vulnerable which leaves river towns with tough decisions.

Flooding that began about a week ago in eastern Iowa caused more than $1.5 billion in damage as it crept south toward the Mississippi. About 25,000 people in Cedar Rapids were forced from their homes, 19 buildings at the University of Iowa were flooded and water treatment plants in several cities were knocked out.

In addition to Clarksville, the floodwaters are also a problem for communities like Gulfport, Illinois.

Lois Russell was among those there who watched her house get inundated with water.

"What else am I going to do? Where else am I going to go?" said the 83-year-old Russell, who had lived in the white farmhouse for 57 years.

"I'm not going back after this one," Russell said as she watched water surround her house. It was the third time she had fled her home because of flooding since 1965.

"It was a good placed to raise my seven kids," she said, crying. "I know I haven't lost anything that feels important because I have a big family."

Authorities rescued people by helicopter, boat and four-wheeler on Tuesday after the river broke through a levee in Gulfport. Later in the week, the Mississippi is expected to threaten a host of others communities, leading officials to consider evacuation plans and begin sandbagging.

But even as the water threatened scores of homes and businesses, officials said the damage could have been worse if the federal government had not purchased low-lying land after historic floods in 1993 that caused $12 billion in damage.

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Since then, the government bought out more than 9,000 homeowners, turning much of the land into parks and undeveloped areas that can be allowed to flood with less risk. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has moved or flood-proofed about 30,000 properties. The effort required whole communities to be moved.

In Iowa, FEMA spent $1.6 million to buy out residents of Elkport, population 80, and then knock down the village's remaining buildings. Some residents moved to Garber, Elkport's twin city across the Turkey River, but others abandoned the area.

The federal government bought about a quarter of the homes in Chelsea, Iowa, after the 1993 floods, but most of the 300 residents stayed. At least 10 homes are now inundated by the Iowa River to their first floors.

Residents take it in stride, said Mayor Roger Ochs.

"For the most part, it's another flood," he said. "For Chelsea, it's more of an inconvenience."

On Tuesday, people were urged to evacuate an area near Gulfport as floodwaters threatened about 12 square miles of farmland. Henderson County Deputy Sheriff Donald Seitz said a major highway could be under 10 feet of water by midday Wednesday.

Reports of raw sewage and farm runoff in floodwaters raised concerns about public health. But experts said most people are smart enough to avoid the tainted water.

On the Iowa side of the river, a sandbagging operation was moved south to the outskirts of Burlington after floodwaters streamed across state Highway 99.

Oakville Apostolic Church "is now an island," said Carly Wagenbach, who was taking food to levee workers.

Officials were also concerned about the integrity of a levee that protects a drainage area south of Oakville.

"It's outrageous," said Steve Poggemiller. "We're hanging on by a thread - or a sandbag."

Jeff Campbell, a farmer carrying sandbags on his four-wheeler, said he spotted pigs swimming away from a flooded hog farm near Oakville. They were climbing a levee, poking holes in the plastic that covered it, he said.

One tired pig was lying at the bottom of the levee "like a pink sandbag," Campbell said.

Reports of raw sewage and farm runoff in floodwaters raised concerns about public health. But experts said most people are smart enough to avoid the tainted water.

"Typically we don't see the outbreaks of diseases that people fear," said Mike Allred of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The rising water forced the closure of the Mississippi bridge in Burlington and stopped car traffic on the bridge in Fort Madison. The bridge's railroad tracks remained open. A bridge downriver in Keokuk also remained open.

To the north in Cedar Rapids, floodwaters had dropped enough that officials let hundreds of people return to their damaged homes and businesses.

"It's obviously much more shocking when you walk in the door for the first time and see what happened," said Amy Wyss, watching sullenly as a giant blower was used to dry out her upscale wine bar, Zins. "I don't think you can be prepared for this, even if you think you are."

The National Weather Service expects crests this week along some Mississippi River communities near St. Louis to come close to those of the historic 1993 floods.

[faith_in_w]

mudrose, the victory goes to the arc builders.

[mudrose-2009]

President Bush is going there today. He shall keep the floodwaters at bay with his magic staff.
Posted by faith_in_W

Hey stranger things have happened. If he can keep terrorists at bay, no telling what else he might be able to do like lift the ban on drilling.

[faith_in_w]

President Bush is going there today. He shall keep the floodwaters at bay with his magic staff.

[mudrose-2009]

WELL APPARENTLY THE FORCES OF NATURE ARE GREATER THAN MAN''S ABILITY. SEEMS TO ME THAT KATRINA WAS A NATURAL DISASTER COMPOUNDED BY THE IGNORANCE AND STUPIDY OF BOTH LOUISIANA''S GOVERNOR AND MAYOR. HOWEVER, SINCE THE STATE OF LOUISIANA IS A WELFARE STATE, THEY DIMNOWITS HAD TO PIN THEIR ********* ON SOMEBODY NOW DIDN''T THEY. GEE FEMA WORKING WITH THE LOCAL POPULATION HERE AND GEE WHAT A DIFFERENCE IN THE ATTITUDES OF THE PEOPLE THAT WORK HARD FOR THEIR MONEY AS OPPOSED TO THE WELFARE HAND OUTS IN LOUISIANA.

[louiville2]

MCVet-temper temper and having read your dribble over months and months you are hardly one to talk. So %u201Cphysician heal thyself first%u201D you hypocrite bootlicker. Or should I say Narcissist Sir, big smile, big smile.

[mcvet]

Search time one minute, you must of tried reaal hard. They don''''t have that info on green peace, Hint they are not into truth just keeping the money coming. You got to love people like you who use other people%u2019s misery to promote ignorant fear mongering. Now run back drink your kool aid have mommy change your diaper and come up with real debate info. ROFLMAF



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Posted by Louiville2 at 09:03 PM : Jun 18, 2008
+ report abuse

Why do you fascist think this is necessary! The poster asked you to produce evidence that the Ice Caps WERE NOT melting and you do this. It''s FASCISM 101... I mean stuff EVERY Klan Member learns in their FIRST year of developing hate targets... If your going to be a real fascist you MUST do better than this... I mean YOU have little hope of becoming a Bootlicker First Class, with responses like this... NO CHANCE sparky!! SIEG HEIL BUSH! Dumb as a box of rocks folks!!

[nothappyatall]

If people prayed, they wouldnt need the sandbags.

Posted by faith_in_w


LOL prayers don''t work though! I kept pray that our resident village idiot singinrick would get ground up by his mower but every week he''s back in here and Bush still hasn''t had engine failure in airforce one yet.

May as well talk to the LAWN for all the good prayer does.

[nothappyatall]

"What else am I going to do? Where else am I going to go?" said the 83-year-old Russell, who had lived in the white farmhouse for 57 years.

"I''m not going back after this one," Russell said"

Oh right, she''s 83 for pete''s sake, like she''s going to live long enough to see another flood like this ever again if she went back.

[mommakat64]

cb_brooklyn....shame on you!! This is not the place to uncork your conspiracy garbage. These people are losing their life''s work...some families have lived on their property for generations. Farms, homes/studios in tiny farm towns, places and crops that are the backbone of our nation. Get a life, cb, and keep it in Brooklyn, please.

[louiville2]

lovegetpeace- http://arctic.atmos.uiuc.edu/cryosphere/
Search time one minute, you must of tried reaal hard. They don''t have that info on green peace, Hint they are not into truth just keeping the money coming. You got to love people like you who use other people%u2019s misery to promote ignorant fear mongering. Now run back drink your kool aid have mommy change your diaper and come up with real debate info. ROFLMAF

[CB_Brooklyn]

Government "Strike Teams" Invade Homes, Harass Flood Victims

Cops break down doors, threaten residents who question them as part of martial law conditioning, authorities prevent people from re-entering their homes.

Shocking footage out of Cedar Rapids Iowa shows cops and government employee "strike teams" breaking into houses of flood victims and threatening anyone who questions their actions in complete violation of the 4th amendment right that protects against unlawful search and seizure.

http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/june2008/061808_strike_teams.htm

[lovegetpeace]

Hey louiville2,
SSSHHHhhh! Since it your claim, where can I see online real time satellite data which shows both the ice caps back. I promised to keep this a secret and not to share it with Al Gore and all the fools, idiots and low IQ of the world. SSSHHHhhh!

[lovegetpeace]

Hey louiville2,
SSSHHHhhh! Since it your claim, where can I see online real time satellite data which shows both the ice caps back. I promised to keep this secret and not to share it with Al Gore and all the fools of the world. SSSHHHhhh!

[magoo2u1]

"These weather-related disasters are being artificially created using chemtrails, electrostatic, and radio frequency energy."

These guys have a point. Seems a bit odd that all this flooding is happening so close to rivers. How come the water isn''t IN the river? Because the conspirators TOLD it not stay between the banks , that''s why. Things don''t just happen, there''s a man made cause for everything. Ok, so do you buy this whole "moon just happened to be in the sky" theory? The government put it there to use as a base for spying on us. Where''s my tin foil hat?

[stevex47]

Just out of curiosity louiville,
Have you ever been to a greenhouse? Are they warmer than the place called outside? Global warming is the same idea. The CO2 laden atmosphere is trapping the heat the same way. Class over. Or, picture a car in the sun, is it warmer inside?

[CB_Brooklyn]

These weather-related disasters are being artificially created using chemtrails, electrostatic, and radio frequency energy.

This technology was used on 9/11.

AMAZING how the "planes" that "hit" the WTC altered the earth''s magnetic field, isn''t it???

http://drjudywood.com/articles/erin/erin5.html

Those plane-shaped holes were created with directed energy weapons.

[louiville2]

lovegetpeace- Shhh don''t look now because your dream of impending doom isn%u2019t happening. You can see for yourself on online real time satellite data which shows both the ice caps back. The Antarctic is at an all-time record level in both size and depth the arctic is almost an overlay for 1980, but hey why let the truth get in the way of a good horror story. You should spend a little more time reading past the headlines pandering to your fears.

[toshi43]

Isn''t this the same ''500-year'' flood plain that flooded in ''93?

Led Zeppelin''s song pretty much summed it up:

"If it keeps on rainin'', the levee''s gonna break,
When the levee breaks, I''ll have no place to stay"

[lovegetpeace]

Hey louiville2,
"It''''s a sign of global cooling but shhh don''''t tell anyone."

SSSHhhh, global cooling is causing the ince in the north and south poles to melt. Do not tell anyone especially to Al Gore - SSSSSHHhhh.

[louiville2]

trglazier- did you jusrt finish voting for "Mr Spashy Pants" on Green Peace I''d be glad to debate you. (i.e. cloud cover reflects heat hence global cooling science 101 duh)