May 3, 2011

2011 Spring Flooding: Tuesday, May 3, 2011

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com Water flows over the breached section of Birds Point levee in Mississippi County, Mo., on Tuesday, May 3, 2011. On May 2, Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh gave the order to intentionally breach the Birds Point levee, flooding over 130,000 acres of farmland to ease flooding upstream.

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com The Interstate 57 bridge crosses into Cairo, Ill., on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com The Red Star district of Cape Girardeau lies under floodwaters from the Mississippi River on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com Water flows over the breached section of levee near New Madrid, Mo., after it was intentionally breached on Tuesday, May 3, 2011. On May 2, Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh gave the order to activate the Birds Point-New Madrid floodway, covering over 130,000 acres of farmland to ease flooding upstream.

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com The Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge passes over the Mississippi River and into Cape Girardeau, on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com Houses are buried in floodwater in southern Illinois, south of Horseshoe Lake, on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com The Red Star district of Cape Girardeau lies under floodwaters from the Mississippi River on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com Looking towards the outline of Birds Point levee, which now encloses flooded farmland.

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com A view toward Cairo, Ill.

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com Water from the Mississippi River, right, sweeps over the farmland in the Birds Point-New Madrid floodway, left, in Southeast Missouri on Tuesday, May 3, 2011. On May 2, Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh gave the order to intentionally breach the Birds Point levee, flooding over 130,000 acres of farmland to ease flooding upstream.

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com Flooded farmland in the Birds Point-New Madrid floodway on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com The rising Mississippi River pushes against the floodwall along downtown Cape Girardeau on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com Looking south from Cairo, Ill., towards the outline of Birds Point levee, which now encloses flooded farmland.

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com The Interstate 57 and Highway 3 interchange near Cairo, Ill., on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com The bridges at Cairo, Ill., on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com Commerce, Mo., on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com A view of New Madrid, Mo., looking toward the Birds Point-New Madrid floodway on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com The Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge passes over the Mississippi River and into Cape Girardeau, on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com Flooded farmland in the Birds Point-New Madrid floodway on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com Cairo, Ill., sits surrounded by water on Tuesday, May 3, 2011. On May 2, Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh gave the order to intentionally breach the Birds Point levee, flooding over 130,000 acres of farmland to ease flooding upstream, including Cairo.

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com A view toward Cairo, Ill., on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com East Prairie, Mo., on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com The Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge passes over the Mississippi River and into Cape Girardeau, on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com A view toward Cairo, Ill.

Water flows through an intentional breech in the Birds Point levee Tuesday, May 3, 2011, in Mississippi County, Mo. The Army Corps of Engineers' blew a two-mile hole Monday night into the Birds Point levee in southeast Missouri, which has flooded 130,000 acres of farmland in Missouri's Mississippi County in an effort to protect nearby Cairo, Ill. from rising floodwaters. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Butler County, Mo., Sheriff Mark Dobbs , left, and Stoddard County, Mo., Sheriff Carl Hefner survey the flood damage done in their counties near the city of Fisk, Mo., from the swollen St. Francis River during a Missouri National Guard flight over the region Tuesday, May 3, 2011. Gov. Jay Nixon also was on board to assess the damages. (AP Photo/Daily American Republic, Paul Davis)

Water flows through an intentional breech in the Birds Point levee Tuesday, May 3, 2011, in Mississippi County, Mo. Army Corps of Engineers' blew a two-mile hole Monday night into the Birds Point levee in southeast Missouri, which has flooded 130,000 acres of farmland in Missouri's Mississippi County in an effort to protect nearby Cairo, Ill. from rising floodwaters. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Water creates a white cap as it flows over where the Birds Point levee once stood Tuesday, May 3, 2011, in Mississippi County, Mo. The Army Corps of Engineers blew a two-mile hole Monday night into the levee in southeast Missouri, flooding 130,000 acres of farmland in Missouri's Mississippi County in an effort to protect nearby Cairo, Ill. from rising floodwaters. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Wappapello Lake in Wayne County, Mo., flows over its emergency spillway and into the already swollen St. Francis River Tuesday, May 3, 2011. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials say the spillway is operating as designed. (AP Photo/Daily American Republic, Paul Davis)

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com Cairo, Ill., sits surrounded by water on Tuesday, May 3, 2011. The Birds Point-New Madrid floodway can be seen at the top right. On May 2, Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh gave the order to intentionally breach the Birds Point levee, flooding over 130,000 acres of farmland to ease flooding upstream.

Buildings are seen surrounded by floodwater Tuesday, May 3, 2011, in Mississippi County, Mo. The Army Corps of Engineers blew a two-mile hole into the Birds Point levee in southeast Missouri, flooding 130,000 acres of farmland in Missouri's Mississippi County in an effort to protect nearby Cairo, Ill. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Wappapello Lake in Wayne County, Mo., overflows its emergency spillway into the St. Francis River Tuesday, May 3, 2011. Days of heavy rain raised the lake's level to 400.03 feet as of now, breaking a 1945 record of 399.09 feet. (AP Photo/Daily American republic, Paul Davis)

Flowing water creates white caps where a two-mile long section of the Birds Point levee stood (at bottom) as the town of Cairo, Ill., is seen at top right Tuesday, May 3, 2011, in Mississippi County, Mo. The Army Corps of Engineers' blew a the hole into the Birds Point levee Monday night flooding 130,000 acres of farmland in Missouri's Mississippi County in an effort to protect nearby Cairo, Ill. and relieve flooding at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

M.D. Kittle ~ mkittle@semissourian.com The Dollar General off Highway 105 in East Prairie is surrounded by water on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

M.D. Kittle ~ mkittle@semissourian.com Levi St. Cyre, 15, left, and Brandon Evans, 14, right, bike through flooded land in East Prairie on Tuesday, May 3, 2011. The school district cancelled school for a second day due to flooding.

M.D. Kittle ~ mkittle@semissourian.com Washington Drive is closed due to high water in East Prairie on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

M.D. Kittle ~ mkittle@semissourian.com Floodwater covers Selma Street in Sikeston, Mo., on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

M.D. Kittle ~ mkittle@semissourian.com A car splashed through high water in downtown East Prairie on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com Water from the Mississippi River sweeps over the farmland in the Birds Point-New Madrid floodway in Southeast Missouri on Tuesday, May 3, 2011. On May 2, Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh gave the order to intentionally breach the Birds Point levee, flooding over 130,000 acres of farmland to ease flooding upstream.

M.D. Kittle ~ mkittle@semissourian.com Streets in downtown East Prairie are underwater on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

M.D. Kittle ~ mkittle@semissourian.com The Hog Pound is surrounded by water in East Prairie on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

M.D. Kittle ~ mkittle@semissourian.com J. Michael Ponder, attorney Cook, Barkett, Ponder, and Wolz, L.C., speaks at a press conference announcing the filing of a lawsuit on behalf of farmers in the floodway beneath Birds Point levee. Law partner Phil Barkett stands to the right.

FRED LYNCH ~ flynch@semissourian.com Only large vehicles were permitted to drive through floodwaters covering the northbound lane of Illinois Highway 3 just north of Cairo, Ill. late Tuesday afternoon, May 3, 2011. With Cairo closed, other traffic was diverted north on Highway 37 toward Mounds.

FRED LYNCH ~ flynch@semissourian.com Floodwaters cover Illinois Highway 37 south of Ullin, Ill. on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

A farm is seen surrounded by floodwater Tuesday, May 3, 2011, in Mississippi County, Mo. The Army Corps of Engineers' blew a two-mile hole into the Birds Point levee in southeast Missouri, after nightfall Monday, flooding 130,000 acres of farmland in Missouri's Mississippi County in an effort to protect nearby Cairo, Ill. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon points at floodwaters as he flies near the Birds Point levee in a Missouri National Guard helicopter Tuesday, May 3, 2011, over Mississippi County, Mo. After the levee was intentionally breached by the Army Corps of Engineers on Monday night Nixon said state leaders would do everything "within our power to make sure the levee is rebuilt and those fields, the most fertile fields in the heartland, are put back in production." (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

This aerial photo shows the threat of massive flooding and a levee breach was lightened on Tuesday, May 3, 2011 after the Birds Point Levee, Mo. was breached by the Army Corps of Engineers. The demolition of the levee sent water pouring onto thousands of acres of farmland Tuesday, easing the Mississippi River floodwaters threatening the tiny Illinois town of Cairo. The demolition project did nothing to ease the risk of more trouble downstream, where the mighty river is expected to rise to its highest levels since the 1920s in some parts of Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana. (AP Photo/The Southern Illinoisan, Paul Newton)

A structure is seen nearly covered by floodwater from the Mississippi River, Tuesday, May 3, 2011, north of New Madrid, Mo. Many areas along the river in Missouri's bootheel are seeing significant flooding and ominous flooding forecasts are raising alarm from southeast Missouri to Louisiana and Mississippi. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Part of the 130,000 acres of farmland flooded by an intentional break in the Birds Point levee is seen Tuesday, May 3, 2011, in Mississippi County, Mo. Army Corps of Engineers' blew a two-mile hole into the levee in southeast Missouri to take pressure off the rising Mississippi and Ohio rivers and try to protect nearby Cairo, Ill. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Floodwaters from the Mississippi River are seen Tuesday, May 3, 2011, north of New Madrid, Mo. Many areas along the river in Missouri's boot heel are seeing significant flooding, and ominous flooding forecasts are raising alarm from southeast Missouri to Louisiana and Mississippi. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Cairo Police Chief Gary Hankins surveys fallen floodwaters along U.S. 51 leading out of his southern Illinois city near the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers on Tuesday, May 3, 2011. Cairo's flood defenses were threatened dramatically before the Army Corps of Engineers intentionally breached a Missouri levee just downriver the previous night, easing some of the floodwaters in Cairo, Ill. (AP Photo/Jim Suhr)

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon walks atop a flood wall followed by Missouri state Rep. Terry Swinger, D-Caruthersville, left, as they tour flood preparations Tuesday, May 3, 2011, in Caruthersville, Mo. The town in southeast Missouri is bracing for a crest of 49.7 feet later this week. The flood wall protecting the town can hold back up to 50 feet, but a sustained crest will pressure the wall. Workers have been fortifying the concrete and earthen barrier with thousands of sand bags. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon walks atop a sandbag wall being built along side Maj. Gen. Stephen Danner, left, and Capt. Juan Carlos Valencia, right, both of the Missouri National Guard as they tour flood preparations Tuesday, May 3, 2011, in Caruthersville, Mo. The town in southeast Missouri is bracing for a crest of 49.7 feet later this week. The flood wall protecting the town can hold back up to 50 feet, but a sustained crest will pressure the wall. Workers have been fortifying the concrete and earthen barrier with thousands of sand bags. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

In this photo made Tuesday, May 3, 2011, members of the Missouri National Guard work to construct a temporary sandbag levee in Caruthersville, Mo. Officials are hoping the secondary levee catches any spillover if the Mississippi River tops the town's 50-foot floodwall. The forecast calls for a crest of 49.5 feet on Sunday afternoon in the town still recovering from a tornado six years ago that damaged more than 500 homes and businesses. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

In this aerial photo made Tuesday, May 3, 2011, workers fill sandbags in Caruthersville, Mo. Officials are hoping a new sandbag secondary levee catches any spillover if the Mississippi River tops the town's 50-foot floodwall. The forecast calls for a crest of 49.5 feet on Sunday afternoon in the town still recovering from a tornado six years ago that damaged more than 500 homes and businesses. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Houses are surrounded by floodwater Tuesday, May 3, 2011, in Pinhook, Mo. The tiny town was flooded when the Army Corps of Engineers' blew a two-mile hole into the Birds Point levee Monday night in southeast Missouri, flooding 130,000 acres of farmland in Missouri's Mississippi County in an effort to protect nearby Cairo, Ill. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com Water from the Mississippi River, foreground, sweeps over the farmland in the Birds Point-New Madrid floodway, background, in Southeast Missouri on Tuesday, May 3, 2011. On May 2, Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh gave the order to intentionally breach the Birds Point levee, flooding over 130,000 acres of farmland to ease flooding upstream.

Highway T in Wayne County, Mo., is closed Tuesday, May 3, 2011 as raging floodwaters from Wappapello Lake, which overtopped an emergency spillway, pour through the area. The waters took out a nearly 400-foot long section of the roadway. (AP Photo/Daily American Republic, Paul Davis)

Wappapello Lake in Wayne County, Mo., overflows its emergency spillway near the Redman Creek Recreation Area Tuesday, May 3, 2011. A nearly 400-foot-long section of Highway T, just out of the frame to the right, was destroyed. Heavy rains brought record flooding to the lake, which sits on the St. Francis River. (AP Photo/Daily American Republic, Paul Davis)

Highway T in Wayne County, Mo., is closed Tuesday, May 3, 2011 as raging floodwaters from Wappapello Lake, which overtopped an emergency spillway, pour through the area and into the St. Francis River. The waters took out a nearly 400-foot long section of the roadway. (AP Photo/Daily American Republic, Paul Davis)

KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com The rising Mississippi River pushes against the floodwall along downtown Cape Girardeau on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

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