By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

Floodwaters recede in northwest Missouri as the Missouri River at St. Joseph drops out of the major flood stage into the moderate category.

But, widespread flooding has damaged the levee system.

Lt. Col. James Startzell with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Omaha office says 350 miles of levees on the Missouri, Platte, and Elkhorn River basins have sustained significant flood damage.

“Due to the magnitude of the damage along these levees, repair of the levee system will take an extended period of time to execute. The majority of the levee system remains compromised and vulnerable, due to record inflows surpassing their designed protection levels,” Startzell says during a conference call held by the Corps of Engineers.

The Corps counts 52 full or partial levee breaches in Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri.

The crest of the Missouri River is flowing downstream, putting pressure on the levee system in central Missouri.

Chief of Emergency Management in the Corps of Engineers’ Kansas City office, Jud Kneuvean, says several systems are handling as much water as they can, including those in Napoleon and Waverly.

“There is water against the sandbags that have been placed by the local flood fighters,” Kneuvean says. “We have projected that 18 levee systems will have less than two feet of freeboard. Ten of those 18 are projected to overtop. This estimate changes with each forecast.”

Kneuvean says though the flooding is beginning to ease, area residents cannot afford to let their guard down.

“Can’t say this enough, it’s dangerous river conditions out there. We continue to stress safety to all of our partners and all our own flood fighters.”