STORM SWELLS CREEKS IN REGION

Thunderstorms that rumbled across Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois Tuesday dropped heavy rain and caused flash flooding in some low-lying areas.

The Cape Girardeau area escaped with no serious flooding or damage.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch at 9:15 p.m. Tuesday for all of Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois until 5 a.m. today.

Brian Miller, coordinator of emergency services for Cape Girardeau County, said: "Essentially, we skated through this thing. But for a while, we were dancing on the hairy edge of a real flood."

At Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport, 5.54 inches of rain fell between 12:01 a.m. and 9 p.m. Tuesday. In Southern Illinois, the weather service said rain amounts ranged from 2-6 inches, with 9 inches reported at Marion, Ill.

Although heavy rain fell in both the north and south ends of Cape County, Miller said a lesser amount fell in the upper Cape LaCroix Creek watershed north of Cape Girardeau. "If all of that rain had come over a sustained time period in the watershed area north of Cape, we could have had some major flooding," he said.

Miller said additional flooding in the southern part of the county may occur today as storm water drains toward the Diversion Channel.

The first line of storms passed through Cape Girardeau between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., and left 1.22 inches of rain in the gauge at the airport. Another .69 of an inch fell from 4-6 p.m., then a second line of heavy thunderstorms and moved across the city between 6-9 p.m., dumping 2.47 inches of rain at the airport.

During the afternoon storm, many street intersections in Cape Girardeau and most of Main Street in Scott City were quickly flooded. The water receded when the rain stopped, but left behind were numerous flooded vehicles whose drivers thought they could make it through the water.

Cape LaCroix Creek stayed in its banks along the west end of the city.

After the second storm passed early in the evening, street intersections in Cape Girardeau flooded a second time. This time Cape LaCroix overflowed in Arena Park but stayed in its banks along the west end business district.

Shortly after 7 p.m., police began alerting businesses along Cape LaCroix and Walker creeks that flash flooding was possible. Employees of many of the businesses quickly sandbagged doors and moved stock and merchandise to higher levels as a precaution.

At Coad Chevrolet, all vehicles on their lots were moved to higher ground as water started to cover South Kingshighway.

"Business died early tonight," said Jerry Lynn, manager of Wedge's Restaurant in the Town Plaza Shopping Center.

Lynn said the parking lot adjacent to the restaurant and Sears was flooded for a while during the evening.

According to an employee at Spanky's on Kingshighway and Bloomfield Road, there was a car that had run off the road and was submerged all but about 6 inches. The driver of the car was uninjured, he said, but many people stopped to look.

Cape Girardeau police officers went door-to-door in the Terry Lane area, next to Walker Creek, to warn residents of possible flooding. Some residents decided to leave but there was no flooding.

Cape Girardeau Police Chief Howard Boyd Jr. said: "I'm sure tomorrow morning we'll find some damage, but there is nothing catastrophic that we found tonight. I don't think there will be anything serious like we've had in the past."

Intersections began flooding around 5 p.m. and "steadily worsened until a little after 9," Boyd said. "There were a multitude of stalled cars; about every intersection had flooded cars."

Off duty and reserve officers were called in to assist with the effort in Cape Girardeau There was some flooding in the Goliday Addition, just off Broadway, and on Lombardo and Landgraf streets. Residents of those areas were advised to be on the alert and prepare to evacuate.

Just before 7, Cape County Presiding Commissioner Gene Huckstep, who was monitoring the Cape LaCroix watershed along Route W, advised city officials the creek was rising. Huckstep kept an eye on the creek during the evening to warn of potential flood waters heading toward the city.

Two families were forced from their homes because of high water and were staying at the Salvation Army building Tuesday night, said Capt. Elmer Trapp. One elderly couple was referred to the Salvation Army after the sewer system in their home backed up, causing their home to flood, he said.

Around 7 p.m., city workers began moving equipment from the Public Works and Park Departments to higher ground as a precautionary measure.

In Scott City, police called out all off-duty officers and reserves, firefighters, and public works employees to block off flooded streets and direct traffic.

Officers said floodwater from Main Street entered the police station and the city offices on the east side of the Administration Building. Damage was minor.

About 15 blocks along Main Street had to be blocked off Tuesday night because of high water, said Sgt. Jim Oldham. Numerous motorists were stranded along the street and in other parts of town, he said.

Flooding was also reported in the east portion of town, Oldham said. The K&R Estates mobile home park was nearly evacuated because of high water levels, he said.

Boats were taken to the police station in Scott City in case it became necessary to evacuate residents of a mobile home park south of Oak Street near the Cotton Belt Railroad tracks.

Scott City School Superintendent Bob Brison informed police that a school bus was ready to evacuate people, if necessary, to the school complex.

Authorities said a stormwater detention basin constructed several years ago by the National Guard in the County Club Estates subdivision of Scott City filled to capacity. But it held back the water and prevented major flooding in the vicinity of Main and Lincoln streets.

Throughout the evening, Cape Girardeau city officials remained in close contact with the county emergency operations center to get updated reports on water levels along Cape LaCroix Creek north of the city. Any reports of substantial rises along the creek in those areas would have indicated possible serious flooding downstream, in the city.

Boyd pointed out that gauges on creeks at Broadway and Kingshighway, Lombardo and Landgraf, North Kingshighway and Mount Auburn, and South Kingshighway and Bloomfield were monitored during the evening.

(Some information for this story also was provided by staff members Jim Grebing and Julie Bollman.)