Flooding

I have not posted for a little while, as I have been busy with work and other things.

We live about 15 miles from the Mississippi River. I drive over it every day to get to work in Quincy IL. For the last week, we have been watching the waters rise. Things have been most dramatic the last few days.

The Memorial Bridge (one way East bound traffic into Quincy) has been closed since Saturday night. The west end of the bridge is rather low. When we drove over the bridge Saturday, we knew it was only a matter of time before the bridge would be closed. They initially said it would be closed Wednesday. Well they moved it up to Saturday night. Now, all traffic is going over the Bay View Bridge (which normally only has West bound traffic)

Took pictures at Clatt Adams Park on the river front.. well, IN the river front... But at least most of the park was ok. By the next morning, it was a different story. I can't believe how high the water rose overnight. Even more impressive.. Sunday, my son and I went to town to run errands and pick things up we might need if we were cut off from town or lost electricity. Memorial bridge had sand bags across the road. They were still using bulldozers to increase the height of the levee that protects West Quincy. We stopped at the park and took pictures as soon as we got to town. Ran errands - picked up the grill my mom bought at Big Lots (that didn't fit my rather small Ford Escort with the whole family yesterday). Went to Burger King for lunch. Went to WalMart to pick up some other things on The List. Went to Game Stop to get DS's LEGO Indiana Jones game and book that had been reserved several weeks ago. Stopped at Hy-Vee (grocery store) to pick up frozen fruit for homemade ice cream. Stopped at the park on the way back. The water was easily 4 inches higher than it was 3 1/2 hours previously. Places we had walked were now under water.

This morning it was even worse. The low portion of Memorial Bridge was under water. I have NEVER seen so much water. (There was a lot more in '93, but I wasn't here then). The pavilion is under water. The fountain - it is an island - all that could be seen is the sides of the fountain. And the steps my son had stood on Saturday night? The only thing visible was the topmost portion of the handrail.

During the day, the water started to flow over the levees near Canton, MO (a short distance north). I stopped at the park again after work, and the water had actually receeded some. The first levee in the area has broken.. and the waters are flooding 2000 acres of farmland. So naturally the water in the park has gone down. It was interesting albeit nervewracking to see the high water line - even higher than I had seen the water this morning.

The river is supposed to crest on Thursday. Predictions keep changing, but range from 31.9 feet to 32.4 feet. The Flood in '93 crested at 32.2 feet. Hopefully the levee won't break open to flood West Quincy - if that happens, I may not be able to get to work. The highway will be under water. West Quincy is starting to look like a ghost town - there are 5 places that sell cars - now all the cars are gone. One place that had rather small buildings actually put the buildings on trailers and moved them out too. Knapheide, which makes truck boxes (think of an electric company truck, with all the little doors that hide tools and things.) has stopped production and moved out all of their trucks... and they have been using the place for a base of operations for sandbagging the levee.

I'm told the area is better prepared this time around. I hope that is the case.