Louisiana Archives - Missourinet

Winter weather advisories and flood watch in effect for different parts of Missouri (AUDIO)

February 12, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A winter weather advisory remains in effect for west-central, central and northeast Missouri until midnight. Far northwest Missouri, the Ozarks and southeast Missouri’s Bootheel are not included in the winter weather advisory.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a winter weather advisory for west-central, mid and northeast Missouri (February 12, 2020 map courtesy of NWS Pleasant Hill Twitter page)

Cities and towns in the impacted advisory areas include Sedalia, Marshall, Columbia, Jefferson City and Hannibal. National Weather Service (NWS) Pleasant Hill meteorologist Scott Blair says light to moderate snow has been falling in those areas.

“And that corridor is going to be under the gun for accumulating snowfall, with a lot of wet, slushy snowfall accumulating up to two to four inches by the time all is said and done later on this evening,” Blair says.

Blair tells Missourinet snow totals will be higher on elevated and grassy surfaces. He’s urging motorists in the advisory areas to avoid the roads, if possible.

“But if you do have to venture out, reduce your speed, use those headlights and take extra precautions as you’re driving,” says Blair.

Northeast Missouri’s Hannibal and Louisiana could see up to four inches of snow.

Blair is urging mid-Missourians to have extra coats, hats and gloves on-hand, with frigid Arctic air coming in behind the snowfall. He says the temperatures will quickly fall.

“After the snow does move out later on tonight, we’re going to be looking at some bitterly cold temperatures moving in with temperatures dropping down potentially into the single digits across portions of central Missouri,” Blair says.

Meantime, heavy rain is the biggest issue in southern Missouri. The NWS Springfield office says West Plains, Sikeston and Dexter are under a flood watch, and ponding of roadways is possible.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and National Weather Service (NWS) Pleasant Hill meteorologist Scott Blair, which was recorded on February 12, 2020:

Riggs: “It’s all hands on deck” in northeast Missouri; major flooding to continue (AUDIO)

June 3, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

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:

Inmates sandbagging again in northeast Missouri’s Clarksville; Mississippi River to crest there Sunday

May 3, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

(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.

The Mississippi River in northeast Missouri’s Clarksville (file photo courtesy of Clarksville city website)

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.

Lousiana, MO child’s death stirs national attention

November 9, 2013 By Mike Lear

National news outlets have picked up the story of a man police used a Taser on to prevent him from trying to rescue his 3-year-old stepson from a burning home in the Mississippi River town of Louisiana. Riley Miller died in the fire on the morning of Halloween.

The father, Ryan Miller, tried to enter the home after the rest of his family had escaped the fire but officials tried to stop him, saying it was too dangerous. When he did not cooperate Louisiana police used a Taser on him three times.

The City’s administrator says he’s investigating the fire and whether police and fire departments acted appropriately.