RIVER HEADED TO 41-FOOT CREST

The Mississippi River is headed for yet another crest at Cape Girardeau, this time at 41 feet on the gauge, the National Weather Service said.

Flood stage here is 32 feet. The river's lowest reading of the month was 34.2 feet on May 6. It reached 40.4 feet Thursday afternoon.

Flooding in the Cape Girardeau area is not expected to be significant.

Mary Lamm, a National Weather Service hydrologist at Paducah, Ky., said there will be relatively little rain in Missouri for the next several days, allowing the river to fall.

Dave Hitt, Cape Girardeau County emergency management coordinator, said there are no serious problems from flooding in the county, but Route J, County Road 525 and State Highway 177 have water in places.

"We're monitoring water over roads in the county," said Hitt. "It would take another 2 or 3 feet before we would have problems in Dutchtown."

Mark Hasheider, a member of the Cape Girardeau Fire Department and emergency operations coordinator for the city, said a few homes are affected once the river goes over 40 feet. However, he said, homes on North Water Street that would now be affected were part of the federal buyout program and are vacant.

"Right now, "Hasheider said, "North Main is blocked and North End Boulevard is also blocked."

Hasheider said that because a 42-foot crest was projected several weeks ago most of the necessary preparation for flooding already has been done. This includes moving needed machinery into areas that might be flooded. He said barricades will be placed and removed as needed.

"As for the Red Star and Smelterville districts," said Hasheider, "very few homes are affected." Red Star is in north Cape Girardeau and Smelterville is in south Cape Girardeau.

The Themis Street and Broadway floodgates as well as the north railroad gate have been closed since last weekend, said Hasheider. Cape Girardeau has five floodgates, but the North Main gate and the south railroad gate will not be closed for this crest.

Andy Juden, president of the board of commissioners of the Main Street Levee District, said the Broadway gate will be opened when the river is at 38 feet and falling and the Themis gate will be opened when the river is at 34.5 feet and falling.

Juden said the primary concern at this point is that the area will need about two weeks of average-to-below-average precipitation for the river to start falling appreciably.

"We are faced with the fact that the river is full from Kansas City to St. Louis and from Keokuk, Iowa, down to Cairo," Juden said. "Also, the Ohio is at flood stage, and the Mississippi will not fall rapidly because all river tributaries are at flood stage."

Lamm said the Ohio River will crest in Cairo, Ill., on Sunday at 53.8 feet. Flood stage at Cairo is 40 feet on the gauge there.

Lamm said Cairo doesn't close its first gate until the river is at 50 feet, so Cairo won't be affected much. The main effect, she said, will be that farm bottomland around Cairo will be hit hard.