Posted on 04/30/2011 6:06:50 PM PDT by Graybeard58
Tiny downstate Cairo, already battling the still-rising Ohio and Mississippi rivers, has been drawn into a controversial flood-relief plan that could put thousands of acres of farmland in neighboring Missouri under water.
The plan calls for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to burst a Mississippi River levee to provide relief to little Cairo, population 2,800, as well as relief for a series of pumping stations, flood walls and levees.
But the relief action will trigger flooding in southeastern Missouri, as opening the levee will allow water to flow over some 130,000 acres of Missouri land, mostly farms.
The state of Missouri had sued the Army Corps of Engineers — charged with flood control along the lower Mississippi River. But on Friday, a federal court judge backed the Army Corps plan.
And on Saturday, a federal appeals court rejected Missouri’s appeal, upholding the ruling.
“If we open the levee, it would allow us to release the water, and that would have the effect of lessening the pressure on the flood protection system in that part of the country,” said Jim Pogue, a spokesman with the Army Corps of Engineers.
“We would expect that would drop the water by three to four — up to as much as seven feet. It could drop the pressure on the system by as much as a quarter,” Pogue added,.
Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) toured the area on Friday, and already the flood waters had reached the front doors of residents’ homes in Cairo, a spokeswoman for Durbin said.
On Saturday morning, the river was up to 59.2 feet, and forecast to hit 60.5 feet by Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
Cairo Mayor Judson Childs said Saturday afternoon that he’s called for voluntary evacuation of his city, which is located at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers — both swelled from the heavy rains. But the mayor steered clear of the controversy pitting his town against Missouri.
“It’s voluntary now,” he said of his call for his residents to evacuate. “But as I keep telling everyone, in the next 20 minutes I could mandate it. This is my home too, and my main concern is the safety of the citizens of Cairo.”
My bad, Little River Control Structures. Should read Old River Control Structures.
When I was a kid, I swam in one of the floodways, it was also named “Wahite”, about half way between Morehouse and Gray Ridge.
Little River runs through Morehouse, where I was born and raised. Normally a small stream, it’s now out of its banks and Morehouse is being evacuated.
As I noted earlier, I’ve never seen Morehouse flooded before and I’m 65 years old. The river has been out of its banks before but usually it just puts standing water in the far west end of town. Now all sections of town are flooded.
I was in East Prairie, MO. just last week and Cairo, Il which is located a few miles upriver from East Prairie. I have an uncle who lives in East Praire and works at the grain elevators in Cairo. Cairo was once a beautiful river town ; lots of river barge commerce. The managing editor of a local news paper told me the small farmers are gone. East Prairie and Cairo are rotting down to older retired farmers and the rest is young unemployed. Lots of dope and crack houses in both cities. I mean, it’s like stepping into a nightmare. I have been going there to visit relatives since the 50s and have personally seen the decline. The local advise from law enforcement (friends of my relatives)is NOT to travel on the roads near Cairo after dark. Seems crackheads head for the freeway after dark and cruse for fun and game. I actually time my trips to pass Cairo during the day.
I was in East Prairie, MO. just last week and Cairo, Il which is located a few miles upriver from East Prairie. I have an uncle who lives in East Praire and works at the grain elevators in Cairo. Cairo was once a beautiful river town ; lots of river barge commerce. The managing editor of a local news paper told me the small farmers are gone. East Prairie and Cairo are rotting down to older retired farmers and the rest is young unemployed. Lots of dope and crack houses in both cities. I mean, it’s like stepping into a nightmare. I have been going there to visit relatives since the 50s and have personally seen the decline. The local advise from law enforcement (friends of my relatives)is NOT to travel on the roads near Cairo after dark. Seems crackheads head for the freeway after dark and cruse for fun and game. I actually time my trips to pass Cairo during the day.
So, no one in FEMA thought of this BEFORE it started raining?
My feeling is that this plan is based on ossified doctrine.
I’ve been to Cairo IL. Let it flood. The only thing better would be if we could flood East St. Louis, too.
I just looked at Cairo on google Earth.
I looks to be about the size of a typical neighborhood in my town here in MA.
Jeeez.............
Yes it was a very small town but had 1 or 2 blocks of impressive old abandoned buildings.
Small indeed and the second slumiest town in the state, East St. Louis, Illinois having beaten them out for the top honor and chock brim full of Obama voters.
What's a half million or so acres of prime Missouri farm land, compared to the glory of slumville, obamaville Cairo? After all, these are Holder's people we are talking about.
Small indeed and the second slumiest town in the state, East St. Louis, Illinois having beaten them out for the top honor and chock brim full of Obama voters.
What's a half million or so acres of prime Missouri farm land, compared to the glory of slumville, obamaville Cairo? After all, these are Holder's people we are talking about.
Blowing a hole in the levee. What could possibly go wrong?
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