“There are no plans to blow up any levees along the Missouri River.” Those words, repeated by three top officials with the Army Corps of Engineers Sunday, belie the rumor that has been making the rounds in St Joseph.
Jud Kneuvean, Chief of Emergency Management, Kansas City District, says the Corps does not operate the levees in our area. Officials tell us the local levee districts operate the levees in the best interest of the district. Kneuvean says after a flood event, it’s conceivable that a levee might be destroyed, but only so it can be effectively repaired.
“The Corps does not engage in discussions to breach levees along the Missouri River, Kneuvean said. “If a local entity does decide to do that, they do coordinate that with us, and they only do it for eligibility for rehabilitation assistance after the flood.”
Two Corps commanders in our area reiterated the notion.
Colonel Tony Hoffman, commander of the Kansas City District, says “there is no plan to blow up any levee in that vicinity.”
The commander of the Omaha Division of the Corps, Colonel Robert Ruch, says “it keeps going back to what was done on the Mississippi River earlier.”
“Those levees that were blown were part of plans for decades,” Ruch said Sunday. “There are no plans to blow any levees on the Missouri River.”
The Corps has held daily telephone news conferences across six states. In Sunday’s conference call, at least 70 people took part.
During the call, Kneuvean said there have been some sand shortages that have cropped up since major sandbagging operations began across the region. He said they are seeking alternatives that don’t work as well as sand, and they are looking for new sources for sand.
Silt, gravel and limestone can be used, but Kneuvean says they soon turn to concrete, and are not as flexible as bags filled with sand. Once additional sand sources are found, he says it then becomes a transportation.
Officials said repairs are proceeding on the L575 levee in Atchison County Missouri, where officials reported three small breaches within the last three weeks. Those repairs on “on target” for completion soon.