The Birds Point - New Madrid Floodway has been protecting 133,000 acres of prime farmland for decades, but that will end tonight starting at 9 pm. Maj. General Michael Walsh, President of the Mississippi River Commission, says he has authorized the Corps to "operate the floodway project." In layman's terms that means the Corps of Engineers will blow holes in the levee to allow water from the Mississippi River to flow into the protected areas. The levee has been intentionally opened only one other time, in 1937 when the river level was 59.5 feet at Cairo, Il. The level is now over 61 feet and rising.
Maj. General Walsh said that more than Cairo is at stake in the decision to activate the plan--it's the "entire system" of levies that the Corps is trying to manage and protect. Cairo is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. Though Cairo has already been evacuated, city officials say that some residents have chosen to stay; and they have been required to sign waivers.
The Floodway was designed to relieve stress such as brought by the current record-setting levels. Maj. General Walsh admits, though, that the dramatic move will only lower the river level for a few days and then the level will start to rise again, if the current weather predictions are accurate. Birds Point is only one of the system's floodways. Four other floodways may also be activated in weeks to come.
Today's action comes after several court challenges, including one that went all the way to the Supreme Court. The high court refused to intervene, thus allowing the Corps of Engineers to open the levee. Approximately 100 homes are located in the Floodway, and local authorities and National Guard are making a final sweep to be sure all residents have left following the mandatory evacuation. Water is over-topping one area of the Birds Point levee already, as is also the case with several other levee systems in the area.
Numerous towns in Missouri, Illinois, and Kentucky have also been given evacuation orders. Lakes are near capacity, with Wappapello in Missouri already overflowing its emergency spillway and Clearwater Lake nearing its spillway. The dams on both lakes are in no danger; but when the lakes are full, added water will enter the already flooding river system.
Another road in Cape Girardeau County succumbs to flood water.
Information for this ariticle was gathered from the 5 pm press conference by Maj. General Walsh on May 1, and assorted stories on KFVS.com and SoutheastMissourian.com. See the press conference by Maj. General Walsh HERE.
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