FINALLY, MISSISSIPPI RIVER IS ON THE WAY DOWN HERE; OFFICIALS EXPRESS GUARDED OTPIMISM THAT DROP CONTINUES

The Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau Monday began what officials and flood sufferers hope is a steady and prolonged drop after cresting Sunday just shy of 48 feet.

The 47.9-foot record crest was below a predicted peak of 48.5-49 feet. By Monday the river had dropped to 47.7 feet still 15.7 feet above flood stage.

The National Weather Service predicted the river would continue to recede, dropping to 47.2 feet today, 46.5 feet on Wednesday, and 45.9 feet on Thursday.

Mark Hasheider, emergency operations coordinator for Cape Girardeau, said the receding river was cause for guarded optimism among those maintaining their vigil against the floodwater.

"There sure isn't any rising water north of us," Hasheider said. "With St. Louis and Chester dropping and it's dropping here we're optimistic that the worst is past."

Although the river has crested, Hasheider said the danger is far from over for those residing in flood-prone areas.

"There are a lot of sandbag levees that people are still maintaining and still pumping," he said. "These people are still hard at work as we breath a sigh of relief."

Some, unfortunately, lost their battle just as the river crested and began to recede. "It's kind of disheartening to watch people fight a battle for weeks only to lose it as the flood crests," Hasheider said.

Although the floodwater is receding, the National Weather Service said it could be several weeks before the river stage in Cape Girardeau falls below the 32-foot flood stage.

"Basically, we're watching what happens up north in St. Louis," said Lt. Paul Gebert, a public affairs officer for the Coast Guard. "Generally, whatever happens in the St. Louis zone is what we can expect to occur in Cape Girardeau and Olive Branch about a week later."

Water levels in St. Louis dropped 1.3 feet in 24 hours, to 43.6 feet Monday, said the Army Corps of Engineers. That's down from the record crest of 49.4 feet Aug. 1.

The Mississippi was forecast to drop below flood stage, which is 30 feet at St. Louis, by late August or early September.

But Hasheider said rapid drops in the river level in St. Louis don't necessarily translate into similar levels here.

"As with differences when the water's rising, there are going to be some differences as it recedes," he said.

The weather service said heavy rains fell overnight Sunday in portions of northeast Iowa and Southwest Wisconsin.

"But that won't affect us down here for a long time," the spokesman said. "It's our hope that the river will recede significantly before that water arrives."

Meanwhile, high-water pressure remains on levees that have held back the river for weeks, and officials will continue to keep a close watch on the saturated levees.

The Coast Guard continued Monday to battle the flood near McClure, Ill. Coast Guard forces from Paducah, Ky., are beginning their fifth week of flood relief operations on the Upper Mississippi.

On Sunday, personnel from at least two Coast Guard disaster response units continued work to strengthen the McClure levee, about two miles south of the Illinois-Missouri bridge near East Cape Girardeau, Ill.

The National Weather Service said much of the Midwest will be hot, humid and without rain for the next few days, raising hopes the levees will survive as the water recedes.

Just as rising waters often wreak havoc on land and buildings, receding floodwater also can cause damage.

Hasheider said he's anxious to assess the water's effects. "Anything that's covered right now, we want to see what's under the water," he said.

Hasheider said he won't begin to feel true optimism until the water is at least below 45 feet. He said many homes weren't affected by the flood until the river stage reached 42-45 feet.

"Once we get below that, it'll start to uncover some homes," he said.

But even after the water recedes, roads and streets now covered by water won't necessarily be immediately opened for traffic.

"We won't open them until we determine that there's no damage and the route's usable again," Hasheider said. "That's something we want to caution: some roads may still be barricaded even if there's no water on them."

In other flood-related news, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will conduct a public assistance meeting today at 10 a.m. for Cape Girardeau and Perry counties. The meeting will be held at the county administrative building in Jackson.

Representative of state and local governments, levee and drainage districts and some private non-profit organizations will attend the meeting to learn about disaster assistance for costs incurred for emergency services.

On Monday, state disaster officials announced that the state and local shares of some disaster relief costs will be waived.