City officials in Craig Mo. have announced they have ordered an evacuation effective at noon Tuesday.

At that point, the towns roughly 300 residents will have 48 hours to grab their things and evacuate due to the potential of flood waters reaching the town.

If a breach does occur, construction workers along the levees told city officials it may take two or three days for the water to reach the town.  With the deterioration of levees, they claim a breach is likely.

The evacuation is a preventative matter to get people assistance who will need it now, City Project Manager Terry Eaton said.

“And the other concern is sight-seers and people getting in the road,” Eaton said.   “We got a lot of construction equipment here right now and it’s just a safety precaution that the less people in our road the better off we are at this time.”

City officials vow to continue to work on protecting the town, which is surrounded by three rivers.  The Missouri River, The Little Tarkio River and the Big Tarkio River.  A temporary levee was built around the town.

Storm sirens will sound at noon Tuesday and officials will go door-to-door to make sure everyone is aware of the precautionary evacuation order.  Despite the odds stacking up against staying dry, city officials remain hopeful the town will dodge a bullet.

“We survived 93, we think we might survive 2011,” Eaton said.