(Missourinet Quincy affiliate WGEM and Louisiana affiliate KJFM contributed to this story)
The National Weather Service (NWS) in St. Louis says the Mississippi River at northeast Missouri’s Hannibal is cresting today at about 28.4 feet.
Missourinet Quincy affiliate WGEM reports about 80 volunteers are back in Hannibal today, filling sandbags for the community and for the Hannibal levee.
Resident Shane Bramblett tells WGEM it’s a community effort.
“So we’re just trying to fill some sand bags to help support levees. We’re probably adding one (to) about two feet to levees right now, so Hannibal, we’ve got a lot of sandbags to fill so we’re trying to get as much support as we can,” Bramblett says.
Marion County highway crews have also brought sandbags to Hannibal to assist in the effort.
Meantime, massive flooding in northeast Missouri’s Clarksville has prompted the state Department of Corrections (DOC) to send more than two dozen inmates to help sandbag in the river town.
DOC spokeswoman Karen Pojmann tells Missourinet that 25 female offenders from the Vandalia prison are currently sandbagging in Clarksville.
The NWS in St. Louis says the Mississippi River at Clarksville is expected to crest at 36.2 feet on Sunday.
Clarksville is a town of about 450 residents.
Missourinet Louisiana affiliate KJFM Radio reports Highway 79 in closed in numerous locations in Louisiana, Clarksville and Elsberry. KJFM also reports Highway 54 at the Champ Clark bridge near Louisiana is also closed.
The flooding is also impacting mail service across northeast Missouri.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) says post offices in La Grange and Clarksville have temporarily closed, due to flooding.
The USPS says mail service in La Grange is temporarily being rerouted to Canton, while mail service in Clarksville is temporarily being rerouted to Louisiana.
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