Floods cut a swath of destruction across southern Missouri

Associated Press (excerpt) ^ | March 18, 2008

[HAL9000]

Excerpt -

PIEDMONT, Mo. | Torrential rains that hammered southern Missouri from Springfield to Cape Girardeau caused widespread flooding Tuesday. One man drowned and hundreds of people were left homeless.

The flooding closed nearly 200 roads and sent propane tanks and debris spiraling down lowlands turned into raging rivers.

Heavy rain began falling Monday and just kept coming. Forecasters said some parts of the state could see 10 inches of rain or more before the storms stop today.

An 81-year-old man was found dead around noon Tuesday in Ellington, about 120 miles southwest of St. Louis, said Lt. Nicholas Humphrey, a spokesman for the state Water Patrol. Walter Baker was found drowned in floodwaters near a cluster of debris.

~ snip ~

[HAL9000]

[Westlander]

[Recovering_Democrat]

Where is FEMA?!?? Where are those $250 Visa cards?! George Bush doesn't care about southern Missourians!!

< \Kanye West>

[stlnative]

I live in Southwestern IL on the MO/IL State Line.
We have had over 10” of rainfall since Monday and it is still coming down and won’t stop until after noon today.

The Mississippi River where I live will crest on Saturday at 35’ (our flood stage is at 27’). This past Sunday the river was 10’ below flood stage at 17’. So by Saturday the Mississippi by me will have rouse 20’ in 6 days.

We are on a boil water order due to the all the rain and flooding around me.

I am high enough that the flooding will not affect us directly, but my 5 acres of land looks like a swamp because the ground cannot soak it up.

I feel for the people in Piedmont MO, the town has a pop of 2,000 and most of the 2,000 residents had to vacate their homes.

[stlnative]

Correction (check math b4 posting)

So by Saturday the Mississippi by me will have rouse 18’ in 6 days.

[Verloona Ti]

I’m in Sedalia. We’ve gotten just the tail end of the storm (as you can see on the radar map), and that’s been bad enough.