Mississippi Co. Sheriff orders mandatory evacuation of spillway

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Mississippi County Sheriff Keith Moore has ordered a mandatory evacuation of the spillway in the area of the Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway.

County deputy Jinice McCameron said the department is in the first step of the evacuation process, going door-to-door asking residents to gather their belongings and be prepared to leave.

The spillway is 11 miles long and 34 miles wide. There are 100 homes in the area and approximately 300 residents will need to evacuate.

"Even if the levee holds, even if the levee does not get blown, these people are still going to be dealing with floodwaters," McCameron said. "They'll be flooded out of their homes no matter what."

The U.S. Corps of Engineers, with the Mississippi River Commission, has said it'll likely be the weekend before they decide whether to intentionally breach the levee, an action that would flood around 130,000 acres of farmland in the county.

Step two of the process, she added, would involve law enforcement going door-to-door again and giving residents a more urgent order to evacuate the spillway. McCameron said she hoped at that point they would be able to give residents an estimate from the corps of how much time they would have to leave.

"If someone refuses, they will be removed," McCameron said. When that step would take place depends on river levels and what occurs with the levee.

There is an emergency shelter at First Baptist Church in Charleston and at First Baptist Church in East Prairie, Mo. The American Red Cross will be at both shelters offering assistance.

Pertinent address:

Charleston, MO