As waters rise around them, Cairo residents encouraged to evacuate

CAIRO, Ill. -- Cairo residents were curious Tuesday about the state of the city's flood work. Some prayed near the city's levee along the Ohio River, others peeked over it at the rushing water, which was just over 57 feet Tuesday night inching toward 59 feet -- record flood stage.

The Ohio River is expected to crest Sunday at 60.5 feet, according to the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky.

As a precaution, Cairo Mayor Judson Childs asked residents to voluntarily evacuate the city Tuesday after a meeting with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, FEMA and local law enforcement Monday. Most residents said they would stay for the time being.

"It was determined the safety of our citizens is of our utmost importance and we want to give our residents every opportunity to collect their most cherished items in case of a problem," Childs said, adding that he still has full confidence in the levee along the Ohio and the Mississippi rivers.

Both rivers have been on the rise as heavy rains have hit Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois since last week. Cairo sits at the confluence of the two rivers.

"Pumps are all working at their full capacity and the levees, at this time, are secure and are being constantly monitored," Childs said.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has had emergency workers monitoring the levees this week, watching for boils and monitoring water levels. Mike Watson, a representative of the corps, said they've also been helping to sandbag areas around the community.

"I've been coming here over 20 years, and they're in the best shape I've ever seen, to be honest," Watson said about the levees.

With his announcement, Childs asked residents who choose to leave the city to inform Cairo police or the Alexander County Sheriff's Department. That way, Childs said, if there's a mandatory order, law enforcement knows who has already evacuated Cairo.

Mowing, packing

As a U.S. Postal Service worker in Cairo, Margaret Fitzgerald saw a lot of activity along the city's streets Tuesday, although not everyone was preparing to evacuate. Some were mowing their lawns, she said, while their neighbor was packing a vehicle to leave.

Tuesday afternoon, Fitzgerald was waiting to see what the weather was going to do before she make a final decision whether to leave the city. She said she may wait for the mayor to order a mandatory evacuation.

"I'm loading my car with essentials. Some medications, important papers and I've got to get things for my pets, too, so I can be ready to go when they decide to evacuate," she said.

At her residence on 36th Street near the Elmwood Street housing project -- an area blocked to motorists in Cairo because of flooding -- Monica Smith was also waiting to see how much more rain the city would get. Many residents in the north end of town, near Edgewood Park, have spent hours pumping water out of their basements and backyards.

Bev Poole, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Paducah, said the area could get up to five more inches of rain through Wednesday. The Ohio River is expected to reach 60.3 feet Friday. The floodwall stands at 64 feet.

"The good news is it looks like right now we'll get a break Thursday and Friday," Poole said.

Still, Smith said she and her husband, Jerry, would likely not evacuate.

"If I decide to go, it'll be a last-minute thing," Smith said.

The couple, residents of Cairo since 1981, also didn't leave during the 1993 or the 1997 floods.

"1993 was really bad. The county was in really bad shape. And the river is higher this time than it was back then," she said. "With both of them rising, it's a problem. It's scary this time."

Awaiting corps decision

What seemed scarier for Pat Bray, a resident of Cairo for more than 50 years and a downtown business owner, was the prospect of the Corps of Engineers deciding against intentionally breaching the Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway. Intentionally breaching the Birds Point levee would take pressure off the levee at Cairo, lowering river levels there, in Paducah and in Cape Girardeau.

"That [decision] will determine whether we stay," Bray said.

As owner of Patches Dolls at 218 8th St., she said she would hate to see floodwaters destroy what she's worked hard to keep running in Cairo.

"It's one of the only businesses there. I could lose everything in the store," Bray said.

The corps will decide today whether to breach the levee, flooding more than 100,000 acres in farmland in Mississippi County in Missouri.

By late morning Tuesday, Daystar Nursing Home on Cedar Street had begun to evacuate its 68 residents. Frederick L. Bernstein, CEO of Community Health and Emergency Services, said 38 of the 68 nursing home residents are wheelchair-dependent.

"We started on the evacuation plan a couple of days ago. We weren't going to take any chances," he said.

Bernstein hopes the facility will be fully evacuated by noon today.

Many of the residents will be taken via SMART, an area transportation group, or by nursing home staff to facilities in Anna and Carbondale, Ill. Some, like 63-year-old Alice Cartwright, were being picked up by their family members. Her nephew, Randell Whitaker, said he was taking his aunt to his home in the country near Metropolis, Ill.

"I'd rather have her with me and my wife. It's safe that way," Whitaker said.

Bernstein said things were busy at the nursing home, but residents were anxious to be moved.

"I think if they're aware of things going on, they're happy to be moving," he said.

ehevern@semissourian.com

388-3635

Pertinent address:

Cairo, IL