The National Weather Service Thursday held to its forecast of a 46.5-foot flood crest on the Mississippi River in Cape Girardeau on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department said Thursday it will close Highway 25 at Dutchtown at 2 p.m. today to facilitate the closing of a gap in the sandbag levee built last week to protect Dutchtown. The highway will remain closed until the water drops to a safe level, the department said.

Late Thursday afternoon the river here hovered at about 45 feet, one-half foot shy of the 1973 record flood crest of 45.6 feet.

At St. Louis, the river reached 43.28 feet at 8 a.m. Thursday, topping the old mark of 43.23 feet set in April 1973. The river here is expected to top its 1973 high-water mark here over the weekend.

As the water inches slowly upward, emergency relief operations continue in Cape Girardeau County. On Thursday Red Cross disaster workers delivered 50 cases of one-gallon jugs of water and 30 cases of 12-ounce canned water to the residents of Allenville who are staying in the southwest Cape County community that is now an island.

Mary Burton, local Red Cross chapter director, said the water was sent in to Allenville after it was determined floodwater from the Diversion Channel had contaminated private wells in the community.

"We'll be making daily runs to Allenville to keep them supplied with water and other staples as needed," she said. "If the residents of Allenville need bread, milk and other staples, they should contact one of their city council members, who will relay their request to our disaster operations office in Cape Girardeau.

"We have also been taking bottled or canned drinking water into other locations where there is a possibility that private wells or the water supply may have been contaminated by the floodwater," she said.

Allenville resident Phil Thompson said about 75 of the village's approximate 103 residents are going to stay.

"Some of the men did move their families to higher ground, but they're staying behind to look after the town," said Thompson. "We have a lot of elderly residents down here, and in case we should have to evacuate everyone, we want to have enough people on hand to help."

Thompson said the greatest fear of those who stayed behind in Allenville is the threat of heavy rains, which could cause flash flooding in the Castor and Whitewater river basins.

Castor River is west of Allenville and empties into the Diversion Channel at Greenbrier, in Stoddard County; the Whitewater empties into the Diversion Channel east of Allenville.

In December 1982, while the Diversion Channel was already out of its banks because of flooding along the Mississippi River, flash flooding occurred on both the Castor and Whitewater rivers.

Following a torrential downpour in most of Cape County, all streams, including the Castor and Whitewater, rose rapidly, dumping floodwaters in the already swollen Diversion Channel.

"Within four to five hours after the storm ended, we had to start evacuating the town by rail and helicopter because the water came up so fast," said Thompson. "Before it was all over, we had several inches of water in most of the houses.

"Right now we could handle up to a 49-foot flood crest on the Mississippi without water getting into town. But that's only if no flash flooding occurs at the same time on the Castor or Whitewater river."

As another safety precaution, Thompson said the Whitewater Fire Department last week moved one of its fire engines to Allenville to protect the town in case of fire.

"When the water gets too high, there is no way we can get a fire truck into Allenville. There are about five of us who are living in Allenville who are on the Whitewater Fire Department. We'll have fire protection while we're cut off from dry land."

In Commerce, construction began Thursday on an emergency road to the flood-battered town.

The work was being done by the Scott County highway department. R.B. Potashnick construction company loaned a bulldozer to aid in clearing the land for construction of a 12-foot-wide gravel road, which will connect with Highway E.

"Our county is trying to get in there and take care of the problem," said Walter Bizzell, Scott County commissioner.