MISSISSIPPI AGAIN RISING

A Corps of Engineers barge made its way past the flooded Honkers Boat Club north of downtown Cape Girardeau on Wednesday afternoon.

The rising Mississippi River and barricades on several Cape Girardeau streets, along with rain storms that keep coming, bring echoes of the 1993 flood that devastated Missouri.

Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan declared a statewide emergency Wednesday because of floods and storms.

Carnahan's declaration allows state resources to be used for battling severe localized flooding spawned by days of heavy rains.

The St. Louis area alone reported up to six inches of rain in the 24-hour period ending Wednesday morning.

A flood crest of 42.5 feet is forecast for Cape Girardeau on Tuesday, but if the rain continues in the state, the crest may be revised upwards.

The Missouri River was closed Wednesday to navigation between Kansas City and St. Louis to ease pressure on strained levees, some of which haven't yet been repaired from the 1993 flood.

Two riverboat casinos, at St. Louis and St. Charles, were closed because the rising Missouri and Mississippi rivers made them inaccessible to gamblers.

Rising floodwaters threatened the Jefferson City airport. The high water also threatened Columbia's water supply.

On Wednesday, the river was at 38.2 feet. The three-day forecast called for a rise to 38.9 feet today, 39.8 feet on Friday and 40.7 feet on Saturday.

Mark Hasheider, emergency operations chief for Cape Girardeau, said a 42.5-foot flood crest isn't uncommon for the city.

In 1993, the river crested at 48.49 on Aug. 8, a decidedly untypical flood.

Hasheider doesn't expect a repeat of 1993, but he can't rule it out either. "I guess it's in the back of everyone's mind."

On Wednesday, heavy rains fell throughout the state, including in Cape Girardeau.

Hasheider said the local rainfall threatens flooding along creeks and tributaries more than the Mississippi River.

Already, the Mississippi River has backed up into many of the tributaries, and rain water has nowhere to go.

However, rainfall in St. Louis and Kansas City will affect the Mississippi River level.

During flooding in 1993, forecasts were typically a little high, Hasheider said. But forecasters got lots of experience during that flood. Hasheider expects forecasts will be more accurate this time around.

The floodgates at Water Street and Themis were closed May 10 when the river reached 35.6 feet. The gates at Water Street and Broadway were closed Wednesday morning, when the river topped 37.8 feet. The floodgates along the Burlington and Northern railroad were also closed Wednesday.

At 38.2 feet, some streets are closed, including Water Street from First to Third and North End Boulevard. Water is visible on both sides of South Sprigg Street.

Hasheider said, "When the river reaches 39.5 feet, a lot more people are involved. It's not just the people who live near the river."

Portions of main thoroughfares like Main and South Sprigg streets will be closed, and water is in or around several businesses.

The Diversion Channel has been out of its normal banks for weeks.

"The water is coming up fast," Hasheider said. "We're trying to keep an eye on it. That's about all we can do."

Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press.