RIVER PRIMED TO MAKE HISTORY; FORECAST CONTINUES BLEAK NEWS

The raging Mississippi River is heading for historic proportions.

For the eighth time in the past two weeks, the National Weather Service upped its flood forecasts Thursday, a day after torrential rains in central Missouri.

The latest forecasts for a crest at Cape Girardeau is a 47-foot reading Thursday. A 47-foot crest would be the highest recorded in almost 150 years of record-keeping. Records have been kept since 1844. The record is a 45.6-foot reading on May 1, 1973.

The National Weather Service said the new crest does not factor in rains to come. The forecast called for showers and thunderstorms across the northern part of the state every day through Sunday.

Meanwhile, sandbagging continued in some towns where there was still hope of holding back the rising water, including Ste. Genevieve, where more than 200 National Guard members were directing sandbagging efforts Thursday, with more guardsmen to come.

Three units from the Missouri National Guard's 1140th Engineer Battalion headquartered at Cape Girardeau have been activated. Company D at Farmington was activated Wednesday to assist in fighting the flood, and Company C units from Sikeston and Portageville were activated Thursday. Units here and at Jackson, Charleston, Perryville and Fredericktown remain on alert.

Guardsmen are using wedge-shaped concrete highway bumpers, sandbags and gravel to add height to a small levee at Ste. Genevieve, where about 125 homes have been ordered evacuated.

Two roads were closed this morning near Cape Girardeau by the Missouri Department of Transportation: Route 177 from Cape Rock north, and Route 74 west toward Dutchtown to Route 25.

Several roads in Southern Illinois near the Mississippi River have been closed.

Illinois State Police reported Thursday that Route 3 was closed at Rockwood south of Chester. Other closings are the Old Cape Road, a gravel road that runs from Reynoldsville to Jonesboro; the Gale-McClure gravel road; and the Fayetteville gravel road west of Olive Branch.

Several streets in North and South Cape Girardeau have been closed. They include North Main and Mason, Lacruz, East Cape Rock below the rock, Beech and Pine, and North Water from First to Third. Water is also reported over the street in the 1500 block of South Sprigg and the 1100 block of North Water.

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Nancy Richards of the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri said foster homes are needed for pets stranded by floodwaters.

As people are moving to higher ground, many cannot find suitable shelter for their animals, especially outside dogs.

Richards said the Humane Society cannot house the animals for several reasons. "We are not a boarding kennel," she said. "We take in strays and unwanted pets. We also have a disease risk because we take in these unwanted animals. We don't know which ones have been vaccinated."

She is looking for volunteers to provide temporary homes for animals. "We are especially interested in people with no pets of their own. We don't know if these animals have been vaccinated or not. But we are interested in any volunteers."

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Cape Girardeau County Presiding Commissioner Gene Huckstep said Wednesday that the county had large supplies of sandbags available for residents who need them to deal with flooding problems.

"If anybody out in the county needs sandbags we have a good supply of them," said Huckstep.

The bags are available at no charge and can be picked up at the sheriff's office in Jackson; at the county highway department shed at the intersection of Highways 72 and 34; and at the Cape County Park maintenance building.

Huckstep said one of the big needs in using sandbags for levees is having large sheets of plastic. He is trying to find a supply now.

In the out-county area, Huckstep said the rising Mississippi River will likely cause serious problems along Highway 74 at Dutchtown and in Allenville. In some instances, residents may need to be evacuated.

"We're keeping a close watch on the situation and will do whatever we can as a county government to help our citizens deal with this serious situation," said Huckstep.

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The Army Corps of Engineers, the Mississippi River Commission, and local officials will be surveying flood areas in Missouri and Kentucky today.

The group will fly over Cape Girardeau, Dutchtown, Commerce and New Madrid, Cairo, Ill., and Hickman, Ky.

They will check flood protection facilities such as floodwalls, levees and pumping stations to insure they are functioning properly.

Participating in the inspection are Col. Theodore C. Fox III, Memphis District engineer for the Corps; R.D. James of the Mississippi River Commission; and Lloyd Smith, chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson; James Wilson, mayor of Hickman; and Doug Goodman, levee commissioner, Fulton County, Ky.