Missouri River Flood updates

[liberal N proud]

In fight against floodwater, sand running out


(AP)
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - The supply of sand used to fill hundreds of thousands of bags needed to fight off the swollen Missouri River is running low after weeks of relentless flooding. It's a problem that could get worse as the river is expected to remain high through August, making it unsafe to gather sand from the easiest place to get it: the river itself.


The sand shortage comes as the bloated river rose to within 18 inches of forcing the shutdown of Cooper Nuclear Plant at Brownville, Neb. It stopped and ebbed slightly Monday, a reprieve caused by levee breaches in northwest Missouri.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/21/national/main20072844.shtml#ixzz1PuOq0lmg


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Missouri River flood closes 100 miles of bridges

OMAHA, Neb — Drivers trying to cross from southeast Nebraska into Missouri and Iowa on Monday found bridges closed for more than 100 miles for safety reasons due to flooding and heavier water flows on the Missouri River.

..Authorities said water flowing over two levees in northwest Missouri's Holt and Atchison counties on Sunday closed U.S. Highways 159 and 136 in western Missouri, affecting bridge crossings at Rulo and Brownville in southeastern Nebraska.

With those closings, flooding has shut down all road bridges over the Missouri River for about 112 miles from just south of Omaha, Nebraska, to St. Joseph, Missouri. The Nebraska Highway 2 bridge at Nebraska City, Nebraska, closed earlier.

More bridges and railroad lines may have to close as the water continues to rise, officials said.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43342727


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River level prompts nuclear plant warning


BROWNVILLE, Neb., June 20 (UPI) -- The rising Missouri River prompted the Cooper Nuclear Station near Brownville, Neb., to declare a "notification of unusual event," plant officials said.

The designation, anticipated by plant operator Nebraska Public Power District, was made Sunday when the river there reached a height of 42.5 feet, or 899 feet above sea level, the Omaha World-Herald reported. The notification is the lowest and least serious of four emergency classifications developed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for nuclear power plants.

The Nebraska Public Power District said in a statement the plant is operating safely and there is no threat to plant employees, who are monitoring the water levels. If the river level increases to 45.5 feet, or 902 feet above sea level, the station would be taken offline as a safety measure.

The Fort Calhoun nuclear plant, 20 miles north of Omaha, was shut down April 9 for refueling and hasn't been restarted because of pending flooding.



Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/06/20/River-level-prompts-nuclear-plant-warning/UPI-49321308569208/#ixzz1PuQL0kr0


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Missouri River breaches levees in two counties


The Missouri River over-topped levees in Atchison and Holt counties in Missouri on Sunday, prompting evacuations and road closures.

Communities all along the river are preparing for a summer of high water. After a significant snow melt and unusually heavy spring rains, Gavins Point Dam in South Dakota started releasing 150,000 cubic feet of water per second on Tuesday. The record release rate is expected to continue throughout the summer.

A 2-foot rise in the Missouri River over 24 hours led to water overtopping a levee in Atchison County, Mo., early Sunday morning.

“The 2-foot rise was not something that we anticipated,” said Mark Manchester, Atchison County’s deputy director of emergency management and 911. But the Army Corps of Engineers had expected water to overtop the levee at some point, officials said.

Sunday’s water flow damaged the 12- to 15-foot-tall earthen levee too significantly to combat with sandbags, but Col. Bob Ruch of the Army Corps of Engineers said the river level may dip down some today.

Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/06/20/116100/missouri-river-breaches-levees.html#ixzz1PuQhteQA


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Aerials of Fort Calhoun, Nebraska Nuclear Plant Flooding
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGga2sRF9qg

I moved from NW Missouri 11 years ago and keep these people in my thoughts as they fight this.

[rurallib]

1. We lived through the floods of 1993 and 2008 in eastern Iowa

but I don't think they were as extensive and long-lasting as what this flood will be.
Flooding is a horrible experience.

And the west is burning up.

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. I read that the river is expected to rise even more in the coming weeks.

Which raises concerns about those nuclear plants.

[Kolesar]

3. Thanks for keeping us apprised...eom