FLOOD KEEPS COAST GUARD ON WATER

PADUCAH, Ky. -- The U.S. Coast Guard station in Paducah has been the hub of an ever-growing wheel of activity since the Ohio River hit flood stage.

Work groups have been pulling people out of flooded homes, providing medical service, bringing food and supplies to others who have chosen to wait out the flood, clearing debris and monitoring river traffic.

The only thing the Coast Guard doesn't do during a flood is operate at night. And even that rule will be broken if the situation is serious enough, Lt j.g. Tom Tarrants said.

"Basically the Corps of Engineers handles the levees and we handle the search and rescue," Tarrants said.

But when the Cumberland and Ohio rivers both rose beyond flood stage, threatening the town of Smithland, Ky., about 12 Coast Guard personnel spent much of last week stuffing sandbags.

Smithland, a town of 500 residents, does not have a permanent levee. When the water started to rise, hundreds of volunteers and the Corps of Engineers came from the surrounding neighborhoods to help set up a half-mile-long sandbag levee. The volunteers worked alongside 30 inmates from both the county jail and the state penitentiary in shifts that ran around the clock.

By Tuesday, the Ohio stood at 51 feet, 11 feet above flood stage, and was lapping at the top of Smithland's make-shift levee. Smithland City Councilman Hiram Smith said workers had to work through the night Tuesday to head off the river, which was due to crest another foot higher by the weekend.

Smith said it took 24 hours to raise the levee a foot.

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard had closed the Cumberland to river traffic because the wake from passing boats and barges was weakening the levee.

About four miles downriver, the Ohio had swamped a large part of Livingston County, isolating about six homes with 10-foot-deep water.

The Guard had a disaster relief unit working that area. Petty Officer Joe Beverly, who was working with that unit, said their responsibility was to coordinate with the county emergency operations and state Disaster and Emergency Agency to bring supplies by flood punt -- an aluminum boat with outboard motor -- to those isolated home owners who chose to wait out the flood.

Some of the homes still have power and phone service, which allows those residents to stay in touch with emergency personnel. They phone in what they need to the county or state office and the goods are delivered by the Guard.

The Guard also checks on all the residents twice a day and is always available if they decide they need to leave.

Ralph and Ruth Redmond decided to stay in their homes while the water rose around them. Ralph Redmond said they would leave only if the water came over his doorstep. The Redmonds' house sits on a natural rise, and the water was not projected to rise high enough to reach the house.

He said it made it easier to stay knowing the Coast Guard was near.

"They're good to check on me and if I need to get out, they can come in with a flood punt and take me out. I feel more secure," he said.

Last week, the Guard responded to a barge carrying coal that sank in the Ohio. No one was hurt and the coal was lifted out by crane until the barge was light enough to be raised.

Flyovers by the Guard's helicopter kept emergency workers appraised of the flood's spread and of any areas where flood punts might have to take out stranded residents.

As the week progressed, the Guard expanded its operation farther west as Metropolis, Ill., began sandbagging its levees. Flash flood warnings were issued Wednesday as far west as Alexander County, Ill. The Paducah station is responsible for the Ohio River between Louisville, Ky., and Cairo, Ill., and the Mississippi River from St. Louis to Memphis, Tenn.

If the Mississippi were to flood, the Guard would relocate its command center to an appropriate site in Missouri or Illinois. Moving the center would mean shifting about 15 permanent Guard personnel, providing for an additional 56 reserve members and setting up an area for 15 boats and 14 vehicles.

And even though the Guard tries not to patrol at night, that doesn't mean it is idle. Guard Machinist Technician Rick Davis and his crew work through the night to maintain and repair the Guard's equipment.