Flood response a source of pride

I was planning a very relaxing week between Christmas and the New Year of 2016 with little city business on the schedule and the family time I enjoyed at Christmas only a happy memory. I was driving back from St. Louis listening to forecasts of unusual heavy flooding rains for mid- and eastern Missouri.

My schedule changed dramatically very soon after I arrived back in Cape Girardeau. The forecast of record-setting flood crests set much planning in place and activated our Emergency Operations Center.

I want to cover my schedule and observations over the following week in the following paragraphs but want to make a statement that I have repeated many times during and after our flood event.

"I have never been more proud of my/our city then during this event." Several specific things came together to enable me to make that statement including infrastructure, city staff and our caring residents.

First our infrastructure saved our city from massive damage and destruction. The downtown flood wall completed in the mid-1960s once again protected our business community from damage as it has again and again over the years. The late 80's major investment and construction of the Cape LaCroix basin project protected our mid-town area, as it has also done many times since completion. Our new wastewater treatment plant operated flawlessly and is out of any danger of any flooding. The change to wells as the source of our water supply made moot any possibility of a problem in that area. There were cities above Cape Girardeau that lost their wastewater plant and their water supply.

Our city staff also worked the event in a flawless manner. They were not only dedicated but obviously thoroughly trained for such an event. Public Works director Steve Cook with great support from Stan Pollivik and Stacy Beasley, along with fire chief Rick Ennis and police chief Wes Blair led the operation. They worked many hours with little sleep checking flood prone areas, warning citizens, manning our pump stations 24/7, checking the wall, levees, manholes, etc. They reported very professionally at briefings with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Gov. Jay Nixon and Sen. Roy Blunt.

Also many residents of our city offered to help during the event. I observed or was told of church groups, various athletic teams and other youth and adult volunteers who came to help sandbag, move furniture and generally just make themselves available for any need.

We did have flooding and damage on both the northern and southern fringes of our city affecting a number of homes and businesses. We will be working with those individuals and owners for possible flood buyout or renovation funds as emergency relief funds become available to our area.

I talked to several mayors, both up and down the river, who experienced much worse conditions than us, which solidifies the statement I made earlier: "I have never been more proud of my/our city than during this event."

Harry E. Rediger is the mayor of Cape Girardeau.