DUTCHTOWN MAN'S FLOOD EFFORTS CITED

JEFFERSON CITY -- When the town of Dutchtown became threatened by the rising Mississippi River backing into the Diversion Channel this summer, resident Clarence Carnell took charge.

Carnell, 66, worked long hours and stayed up many nights to coordinate the efforts of the hundreds of volunteers -- including National Guardsman -- who filled sandbags and built the great wall to hold back the water.

He pledged his time and abilities to the town he has called home for the past 30 years without expecting any reward or praise for his efforts.

But on Thursday, Carnell was one of 48 Missourians honored by Gov. Mel Carnahan and Lt. Gov. Roger Wilson for their summer of courage and compassion in fighting the flood of 1993.

"I felt as inadequate as I've ever felt in my life," Wilson said at a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda. To the audience who sandbagged and slogged and survived, he said, "I love you."

"We all felt inadequate" against the invading water, Carnahan said before handing out special blue-and-gold certificates.

"But we kept on plugging and we took inspiration from those in this room," the governor said. "You and hundreds of others like you deserve our thanks for not allowing our state to go to pieces."

He called the honorees "flood heroes." They came to the Capitol from 28 counties, reflecting the border-to-border devastation of the flood.

Carnell, weary from his long day, said Thursday he never dreamed he would be rewarded for his efforts.

"This was the fourth flood we fought in Dutchtown in the last 30 years," said Carnell. "It was definitely the worst I've ever seen it, but it seemed to bring the best out in the people of Dutchtown and from all over the area.

"There were a lot of people who helped in Dutchtown who deserved this award," he said. "We were all just trying to do our part and save our homes."

Brian Miller, emergency operations coordinator of Cape Girardeau County, submitted Carnell's name -- along with the names of several other dedicated citizens who worked hard this past summer to fend off the floodwaters -- to the governor's office.

Carnell "was nominated because he was one of the outstanding flood volunteers," said Miller. "He has volunteered his time and effort in the community for many, many years. We really respect what he's done for all of us."

Miller said he did not have an easy time picking the names to submit to the governor's office.

"There were so many folks out there who worked very hard this summer," said Miller.

At the ceremony, Carnell and his wife Evelyn met and had their pictures taken with the governor.

"It was all really nice," Carnell said. "The governor remembered who I was when he came around to shake our hands -- that surprised me."

The ceremony marked the second round of official honors for Time Hatfield, a marina owner from St. Joseph. He was personally commended by President Clinton during a summer inspection tour of the St. Louis area.

Hatfield loaned his large boats for moving people and equipment out of the St. Joseph water plant perched on the Missouri River and for shipping tons of sandbags to protect the plant.

As he was working, his own home was being washed away.

"I guess it went right by us down the river," said Hatfield, who was relocated to a mobile home without running water.

He won special recognition from Clinton and Carnahan for forgetting about his own flood losses and moving on to assist areas of the Mississippi River devastation, from the Chesterfield valley to Cape Girardeau, to Cairo, Ill.

"I don't feel I did more than hundreds of others," Hatfield said. "We just all did our part."

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)