GETTING READY FOR THE FLOOD; LOCAL OFFICIALS ARE PREPARING FOR THE WORST

Officials preparing for the Mississippi River to rise to levels well above flood stage received some good news Tuesday when the National Weather Service revised its crest prediction downward for Cape Girardeau.

A spokesman for the weather service in St. Louis said the river now is expected to crest Thursday at 41.5 feet, 9.5 feet above flood stage. On Monday the prediction was for a crest half a foot higher.

Officials are preparing for the worst just in case the flooding increases or the crest prediction was underestimated. Flooding of the Meramec River in St. Louis and the Ohio River along the Illinois-Kentucky border could contribute to higher levels on the Mississippi.

The Meramec River crested Tuesday in many towns in the St. Louis area. The Ohio River at Cairo, Ill., was expected to crest Saturday at 46.5 feet, 6.5 feet above flood stage.

A forecast of more scattered rain showers this afternoon and evening also concerns officials.

City water system manager Tom Taggart said emergency backup intake pumps have been positioned in case the regular pumps become submerged at the facility off East Cape Rock Drive. Two of the three regular pumps were raised in case the river rose higher than expected. Chemicals used to treat river water for consumption were moved from a building that could flood, he said.

At the south end of Cape Girardeau, the wastewater treatment facility is also taking precautions in case the river floods the facility. The director, Steve Cook, said the Missouri Department of Natural Resources was notified that flood procedures were being taken at the treatment facility. The notification is mandated by law.

A spokesman for Burlington Northern Railroad said traffic has been halted through Cape Girardeau and a flood gate that crosses the tracks north of the downtown area has been closed.

The Broadway and Themis street flood gates already have been closed.

The Broadway gate typically is closed after the Themis gate. Mark Hasheider of the Cape Girardeau Fire Department said the gates were closed at the same time because the manpower was available.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has sandbags and some sheets of plastic available at Cape Storage, 1138 S. Kingshighway. No plans have been made yet to haul or distribute bags in flood-prone areas, officials said Tuesday during a city meeting of the Emergency Operations Committee.

Mary Burton, local director of the American Red Cross, said an emergency shelter at the Red Star Baptist Church on Main Street would "shelter as many as need to be sheltered.

"We stand ready to help," she said. "We don't always know the people that need help, so they need to call us."

Burton said anyone affected by the flood should contact the American Red Cross at 335-9471.

Personnel from the police and fire departments were going door-to-door in the Red Star and Smelterville areas Tuesday advising residents that floodwaters were coming. Several homes have been vacated since last year's flood, said Bettie Knoll of the police department.