Governor Blunt says the state stands ready to provide assistance to communities coping with flooding, but the governor says it appears Missouri has been able to cope with some of the worst flooding the state has seen since 1993.
Blunt says it appears the flood levels predicted earlier are being revised downward. Still, the governor warns that any small change in the weather could drastically change the situation. Northwest Missouri seems to have been hit the hardest. Levees have broken, which actually relieves the pressure on some downstream levees. The weather has cleared a bit as well. The Missouri River is now is expected to crest at Jefferson City Saturday at 31 feet, down a foot from the prediction a couple of days ago.
Blunt says the biggest request from communities has been for sandbags, which he says the state has been able to provide. Blunt says he has been in contact with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and will likely request a federal declaration of disaster once the waters recede. Right now, the governor says his focus is on helping communities cope with the rising water or the anticipation of the water rising downstream on the Missouri. He says the National Guard stands ready to help, but hasn’t been activated.
State Emergency Management Agency Web site .
Download/listen Gov. Matt Blunt on flooding (3:30MP3)
