As of 6:58 p.m. on June 15
Sunday, June 15, 2008 at 9:35 a.m.
Read more: Local
(AP) -- The city of Hannibal desperately needs sandbaggers at 7th and Warren Barrett Drive.
The South River drainage district above Highway 168 just outside of Hannibal needs sandbaggers.
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Sandbaggers are needed at the Hull Elementary School. Volunteers also are needed to work on the Sny Island levee; call 217-426-2521 to get directions. Coolers, marked with your name and address, are needed to carry water to levee workers; there is no guarantee the coolers can be returned. Take them, along with donations of sunblock, to the Lions club in Hull. Also, many people in the Hull area are trying to pack up and move out; any help would be appreciated.
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Sandbaggers are needed at Quincy's Oakley Lindsay civic center. According to Mayor John Spring as of approximately 8:30 a.m. on Sunday June 15, the Mississippi River is rising almost 6 inches/hour. The mayor reports there is a tremendous flood-fighting efforts going on at the Gardner Denver plant in an attempt to build that levee to 35 feet. Crews still are working at and closely monitoring the Quincy water filtration plant; Spring has confirmation from IEMA that saving Quincy's water supply is the top priority. Approximately 200 National Guard Troops are in Quincy, being housed and fed at Quincy University. Most of them will work in the Sny Island levee district, but the mayor hopes to keep 25-50 of them in Quincy.
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The city of LaGrange reports that Route B is closed; Route C is the only way to get into and out of LaGrange.
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In Hancock County, emergency officials are still dealing with the effects of a carbon black spill there on Saturday June 14. That material is not considered hazardous, but can be a respiratory irritant. The spill started at the intersection of Routes 9 and 94, traveled through Dallas City and east into Henderson County. If you live or drive through that area, keep doors and windows closed.
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At a morning meeting at Hamilton city hall, it was decided that that Keokuk/Hamilton bridge over the Mississippi River will stay open until 6 p.m. on Sunday June 15. Both westbound lanes are closed, but there is two-way traffic on the eastbound lanes. A rock wall has been built to try to keep floodwaters back. The Hamilton-Warsaw road is closed.
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IDOT officials are keeping an eye on the Illinois approach to the Fort Madison bridge.
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Kathy Dougherty with Hancock County ESDA reports that some residents of both Pontoosuc and Rio Vista are still in their homes, even though Pontoosuc became a closed community on Saturday June 14.
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In Dallas City, police are enforcing road closed signs. Volunteers are needed; they can park outside those signs and walk to the sandbagging site on 1st Street. National Guard soldiers are scheduled to help there Sunday.
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In Niota, sandbaggers are needed. National Guard soldiers and inmates from the Illinois Department of Corrections are scheduled to help there Sunday.
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In Warsaw, volunteers are needed.
-----The Champ Clark Bridge over the Mississippi River at Louisiana is closed.
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The Keokuk-Hamilton bridge over the Mississippi River is open; it may close at 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 15, based on river levels and predictions. It is down to two lanes of traffic; motorists should allow extra travel time and anticipate delays.
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Alexandria Mayor Bob Davis has confirmed to KHQA's Rajah Maples that sandbagging has stopped at this time in Alexandria, and he is encouraging all residents to move out by evening on Monday June 16; the river is expected to get higher than the 1993 flood levels.
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Officials in Canton are holding a news conference at 11 a.m. on Sunday, June 15 regarding the flood-fighting efforts there. We will post information about that as soon as it's available.
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Warsaw city hall is requesting sandbaggers. Volunteers should go to 218 Main Street, the site of the water plant.
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In Hamilton, 2nd Street, sometimes called Radio Tower road, is expected to be closed at any time as water threatens to cover the roadway.
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The Illinois Department of Transportation has closed the Brussels Ferry as of approximately 10 a.m. on Sunday, June 15 due to high water.
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Fort Madison is requesting sandbaggers; report to 10th Street and Avenue H.
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In the city of Montrose, traffic coming in from North 1st Street must detour from South 1st Street at Maine Street to South 2nd Street. Traffic coming in from River Road must take the detour from Elm Street to South 2nd Street. This is a one-lane, limited access road, so proceed with caution.
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KHQA spoke with Mike Reed with the Sny Island levee district at approximately 11:15 a.m. on Sunday June 15. He says volunteers with 4-wheelers, gaters and ATVs are needed to haul sandbags to the levee; volunteers also are needed to help put plastic and sandbags on top of the levee. Volunteers also are needed to fill sandbags; report to Hull elementary school, Pleasant Hill fairgrounds or New. National Guard soldiers and several crews from area work camps are working on the Sny levee at this time.
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In Canton, the city has called for a VOLUNTARY evacuation. If residents choose to move out, they should do so today and tomorrow, Monday June 16. Culver-Stockton College and the American Red Cross are working to set up temporary emergency shelters on the Culver campus; you should call 573-248-9079 as soon as possible to make a reservation. The city will move all residents out of the senior housing facilities. The city has marked locations in the downtown area to indicate where floodwaters would reach in the event of a levee breach; the first markers closest to the river indicate a breach with the Mississippi sitting at 27.5 feet; the second markers farthest from the river indicate a breach with the Mississippi sitting at 29.5 feet. As of noon on Sunday June 15, the latest crest prediction is 28 feet at 1 a.m. on Thursday June 19. Lewis County Emergency Management Director Jeff McReynolds reiterates the city if not expecting a levee breach, but is being proactive in protecting its citizens. Canton still needs volunteers at the old Niemann Foods building downtown. There has been a good turnout over the weekend, but officials are worried about low turnout during the work week. If you have questions about the situation in Canton, e-mail flood2008@culver.edu.
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Hancock County is still dealing with the effects of a carbon black spill on Saturday, June 14. It is not considered hazardous, but can be a respiratory irritant. The spill started at the intersection of Routes 9 and 94, traveled through Dallas City and east into Henderson County. If you live or drive through that area, keep doors and windows closed. If you believe you have been affected by the spill, there is a sign-up location on Sunday, June 15 after 1 p.m. on the corner of West 3rd and Spruce Streets; that's the Joyce Ellison residence.
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Niota is calling for a lot more sandbaggers. Volunteers meet at the Appanoose Township Hall and bring shovels and gloves if they can.
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The Gregory Drainage District in Gregory Landing, MO desperately needs sandbaggers and bulldozers. Meet at the Logsdon Elevator in Gregory Landing. Bring shovels, workgloves and water. To get to Gregory Landing, travel 11 miles north of Canton on highway 61 - turn east on Route F and travel 4 miles east to the river. Workers there are sandbagging and using bulldozers to push up the 8-mile levee. That work is expected to be finished by Monday June 16.
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KHQA's Rajah Maples reports MoDOT is pushing sand higher against the east side of Highway 61 north of the Clark/Lewis County line.
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A spokesperson with the Missouri National Guard says more than 170 soldiers from a unit based in Macon and Kirksville are helping the flood-fighting efforts in Hannibal, Canton and Clarksville. Meanwhile, Clarksville's flood-fighting efforts are in need of help. In addition to National Guard troops, female inmates from the Women's Eastern Reception Diagnostic Correctional Center in Vandalia are assisting in the efforts.
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If you live in the Warsaw area, you're being asked to conserve water because of the storms and possible electrical outages in the Warsaw area.
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Spectators are being asked to remain on the designated and paved viewing areas of the Hannibal flood wall. You should use the designated steps and stay off any earthen portion of the levee. As the floodwaters continue to rise, this will become increasingly important. These rules will be enforced effective Sunday afternoon June 15.
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Illinois National Guard stationed in the city of Quincy for flood relief will be housed in Quincy University's Health and Fitness Center. As of Sunday, June 15, the Health and Fitness Center will be closed to the public until further notice. At this time, Quincy University's Lady Hawks basketball camps will still be held as scheduled.
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The American Red Cross will use the first floor of Friars Hall as an operations base and will continue to use Quincy University as an emergency shelter for persons displaced by area flooding. Parking is available in Lot C (18th & Lind), and you can enter Lot G marked "Friars and Authorized Personnel only" and follow the Red Cross signs to Friar's Hall. For information and updates regarding housing and other relief operations, you can call the Red Cross at 217-222-2477 or the Quincy University emergency hotline at 217-228-5300.
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Due to the current evacuation of the community of Gulfport, Ill., and a section of Burlington, Iowa, the Iowa Department of Transportation is asking motorists to avoid this area until such time that emergency missions can be completed. This includes U.S. 34 between Iowa and Illinois, and the Great River Bridge over the Mississippi River. The highway and bridge are OPEN. This request is to limit nonessential travel, and protect the safety of evacuees and responders.
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KHQA has confirmed that Louisiana, MO began a mandatory evacuation for the lower south side of the city around 3rd street on Saturday night June 14 at 10 p.m. The city had sent letters to those residents on Friday, suggesting they evacuate.
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Niota is asking for people to stay off of Highway 96 through Niota unless you are assisting in the sandbagging efforts. Other traffic on that highway is hindering the city's sandbag efforts.
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KHQA's Alexis Hunt was told the emergency shelter set up by the Adams County Chapter of the American Red Cross at Quincy University expects to have 10 families arrive sometime on Sunday, June 15.
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The mayor of Hull has asked all available volunteers to hep lay plastic and sandbags on the Sny Island levee. Go to two miles west of Fall Creek and drive to the levee. From there, workers are needed at the area known as Miller's Crossing. The mayor says there are NO plans to shut off water, power or to issue a mandatory evacuation in Hull.
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This information is from the Henderson County IL Sheriff's Department: Sheriff Mark Lumbeck issues a mandatory evacuation at Gulfport and low lying areas of Gladstone township.
Evacuees can report to the Red Cross Shelter at the West Central Elementary School in Biggsville.
Gulfport is in dire need of sand baggers. Go to the Gulfport area, signs will direct to the sandbagging locationl.
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No new levee breaks in Des Moines County Iowa. In West Burlington, at Southeastern Community College sandbaggers are needed to help fill bags to be distributed in other parts of the county. Main Street is closed near the railroad tracks in downtown Burlington.
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According to the Red Cross Flood Center in Hull, Ill., the biggest need in that area right now is volunteers to help senior citizens evacuate. If you want to help, go to the Hull Lions Club building.
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Dallas City Summer School is canceled for the week of June 16.
(Copyright ©2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
