The National Weather Service (NWS) in St. Louis warns that major flooding is expected to continue in northeast Missouri for the next one to two weeks.
The National Guard’s 35th Brigade has been assisting along the Mississippi River in northeast Missouri’s Clarksville (May 31, 2019 photo courtesy of Missouri National Guard Twitter Page and Sgt. Christy Van Drunen)
State Rep. Louis Riggs, R-Hannibal, tells Missourinet volunteers are still needed to sandbag in Hannibal and Quincy.
“Another nice thing is seeing how many families are getting out there, I mean little kids, five, six, seven years old, pitching in,” Riggs says.
He says it’s “all hands on deck” in the Hannibal area and across northeast Missouri. Riggs praises the volunteers, saying they have filled hundreds of thousands of sandbags.
The NWS says the Mississippi River crested on Sunday in Hannibal, Louisiana and Clarksville. The Mississippi crested at Hannibal at about 30 feet.
Riggs says levees across northeast Missouri are saturated.
“The power of the (Mississippi) River. We’ve been at flood stage in this area since March 15th,” says Riggs.
Riggs says the weather pattern has been “horrible.” He says the weather pattern reminds him of 1993, the year of the Great Flood.
The NWS says there’s a slight risk of severe weather across northeast Missouri on Tuesday.
As he did during a Thursday interview, Riggs is asking for prayers for those impacted. He tells Missourinet “the power of prayer” is working, saying there have been miracles in the Fabius River Drainage District area.
He says Highways 61 and 24 in that area are still open.
Riggs represents Marion, Monroe and Shelby Counties in the Missouri House. All three counties are rural, with a large agricultural presence.
Closer to St. Louis, the NWS confirms there has been a breach in the Pin Oaks levee near the small town of Winfield, north of St. Charles.
Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with State Rep. Louis Riggs, R-Hannibal, which was recorded on June 2, 2019:
Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet
