Army blasts open Missouri levee to avoid further flooding

[News_Editor]

Army blasts open Missouri levee to avoid further flooding

2011-05-03 20:03:20 GMT+7 (ICT)

BIRDS POINT, MISSOURI (BNO NEWS) -- The Army Corps. of Engineers late Monday night breached the first section of the Birds Point levee in Missouri to avoid further flooding, but harsh weather has interrupted their operations on Tuesday morning.

The decision was made to save the town of Cairo, Illinois, which is located at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and has been in danger of being wiped out by the flooding. Most of its 2,800 citizens have been evacuated.

Reports indicate that the Mississippi River dropped several feet after the explosions, and as of 6 a.m. local time, the Ohio River at Cairo was lowered by more than a foot. However, even after the Ohio River dropped to 60.62 feet early Tuesday, it remained well above the 1937 record of 59.5 feet.

On Monday evening, Major General Michael Walsh of the Corps of Engineers informed Missouri Governor Jay Nixon of the decision to proceed with plans to blow a hole in the levee at Birds Point as soon as possible.

The project would send a tremendous amount of water through approximately 130,000 acres of farmland in southeast Missouri, but the Walsh is expecting that this action would relieve pressure on other parts of the levee system and save lives.

The decision to break off the Birds Point levee was difficult, but with rainfall exceeding initial forecasts and the Mississippi River reaching record-breaking levels, Governor Nixon activated the Missouri National Guard to protect the region.

"As we have throughout this historic flooding, the State of Missouri will continue to provide resources and personnel to protect the people of the Bootheel," Governor Nixon said. "We have boots on the ground. We are prepared. And southeast Missouri will move forward again."

There are currently around 760 Citizen-Soldiers of the Missouri National Guard on the ground in southeast Missouri. The Army Corps. of Engineers was scheduled to break off another section of the levee at from 1 a.m. to 4 a.m. Tuesday morning, but the operation had not been carried out.

The final explosion had been set to take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., breaking off the upper portion of the levee.

"I urge Missourians to continue to cooperate fully with state, county and local law enforcement, as they have at every stage of this process," Nixon added. "Together, we will ensure that Missouri families stay safe in the coming days. And together, we will recover and rebuild."

Meanwhile, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear supported the decision, underlining that while it was clearly a difficult decision for the federal government, the protection of lives must come before the protection of property. 

"In addition, with bad weather continuing for the Commonwealth, I hope it will provide Kentucky communities some relief," Beshear said.

Governor Nixon has toured the flooded region three times, including a personal visit into the floodway Sunday evening, as he plans to return to the region on Tuesday to survey the situation.

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