NO FLOODS EXPECTED; CITY PROCEEDS WITH BUYOUTS

The Mississippi River has flooded Henry and Oma Copeland's home in the 1400 block of North Water twice in the last three years.

The National Weather Service forecasts little flooding along the river this spring. But the Copelands don't want predictions; they want guarantees.

They are among the first Cape Girardeau residents to participate in the flood buyout program.

The retired couple are in their 70s. "We are getting too old to fight this damn water," said Henry Copeland.

The city is buying their home and will help them relocate to another house.

The city made offers this week on 16 homes in the flood-prone Red Star and Smelterville neighborhoods. Four property owners have agreed to sell and four others have indicated they want to participate, said Ken Eftink, the city's development services coordinator.

Cape Girardeau has $1.2 million in federal and state money to buy and demolish flood-damaged homes and relocate residents. The city hopes by mid-April to have made offers on 50 homes that were flooded in 1993 and 1995. Additional houses then would be bought and demolished until the money runs out, Eftink said.

He said he doesn't know how many houses the city will be able to buy and demolish. "We would really like to have all the demolition done by this summer," he said.

In all, there are about 150 houses in the floodplain, including those in the Meadowbrook area. But the Meadowbrook area sits farther back from the river and didn't rate high enough with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to qualify for buyout funds.

The Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission in Perryville is directing the buyout.

The city's offers are based on the appraised value of the home prior to the last flood, minus any flood insurance benefits the owner has been paid.

Cape Girardeau experienced serious flooding in 1993 and 1995.

This spring, the area could see little flooding. "This year, we are in really good shape," said Jack Burns, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service in St. Charles.

"Right now, our river stages are down over what they typically are this time of year," he said. "I would be amazed if we even get up close to flood stages this year," Burns said.

In Cape Girardeau, the river was 6 feet lower Thursday than it was the same date a year ago.

Burns said states upstream along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers received considerable snow this winter. But he said most of that has melted, except far to the north in areas such as northern Minnesota.

"As far south as we are," said Burns," it would still require an awful lot of rain to cause flooding."