Overnight breach plan stalled; one explosion set for today

Due to overnight weather conditions that affected the positioning of the barges carrying explosives, the Corps of Engineers was not able to execute the second and third breaches of the levee in the Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway as planned.

A corps spokeswoman said the corps plans to detonate the second of the three breaches today. No word has come yet about the timing of the third breach. Originally the corps had planned the second detonation between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. Tuesday morning. Each of the two upcoming explosions will knock out 5,500 feet for a total of 11,000 feet. Both breaches will occur near New Madrid. The breach will allow the water to retreat back into the Mississippi River.

Monday night's explosion knocked a 11,000-foot hole in the frontline levee to allow floodwater into the floodway.

The decision to intentionally breach the Birds Point Levee is part of an overall flood plan designed to take pressure of the river's levee system and protect populated areas along the river. But about 130,000 acres of farmland and about 100 homes in Mississippi County will be flooded as a result of the decision.

Cape Girardeau attorney J. Michael Ponder told the Southeast Missourian that farmers in the floodway have filed a class-action lawsuit against the federal government.

The Southeast Missourian has reporters and photographers on the scene. Check back for more developments at semissourian.com.