A makeshift levee holds back floodwaters from the heart of Craig and the Golden Triangle Energy ethanol plant.By BRENT MARTIN St. Joseph Post
Floodwaters have forced an ethanol plant in northwest Missouri to temporarily stop production.
The general manager of Golden Triangle Energy in Craig, Roger Hill, says the flooding around the plant is the worse he has ever seen. At present, the plant has ceased operations with only a skeleton crew on site.
Flooding from the Missouri River and its tributaries, especially the Tarkio River, is growing closer to the heart of Craig after some private levees failed in Atchison and Holt Counties, sending floodwater farther inland.
Hill says no rail traffic can get into or out of the plant. No shipments are being made.
A makeshift levee, fortified with sandbags, has been holding back floodwaters in Craig, for now.
Five head of cattle had to be euthanized after an accident on the Belt Highway in St. Joseph./Photo courtesy of Shannon Diggs
A semi-tractor trailer collided with a truck pulling a full cattle trailer on Belt Highway in St. Joseph Tuesday afternoon, injuring five head of cattle severely enough that they had to be euthanized on the spot.
The St. Joseph Police Department reports the truck pulling the trailer attempted a left turn from the South Belt Highway onto Pear Street in front of the semi when the collision occurred.
The trailer was hauling eight cattle. Police say a veterinarian on the scene checked on the condition of the cattle and decided five had to be euthanized. One was not injured in the accident. Two took off and were loose in the area immediately after the accident.
Floodwaters have rolled through breaches in levees in extreme northwest Missouri, threatening two towns and forcing transportation officials to close I-29 just north of St. Joseph.
Missouri Department of Transportation Assistant Engineer Marty Liles says the Missouri River has overrun its banks, sending floodwaters very close to two northwest Missouri cities.
“So, right now, the community of Craig unfortunately is really doing a bunch of levee work and sandbagging to try and protect their communities. Watson is an area that my understanding is that they never really have been impacted with floodwaters and now they actually for the first time have been impacted with floodwaters,” Liles tells reporters during a news conference held off I-29 at the Craig intersection.
Sandbags attempt to fortify a make-shift levee protecting the heart of Craig.
MoDOT had closed I-29 at Rock Port to keep traffic from running into a flooded interstate in Iowa. Now, transportation officials have closed I-29 at the intersection with U.S. Highway 71, not allowing traffic to travel north as floodwaters roll near the interstate in northwest Missouri. So far, floodwaters have not lapped over the interstate, but Liles says they have rolled up onto the shoulder near Rock Port.
Liles says he doesn’t know how long the interstate will be closed to northbound traffic.
“I really don’t,” Liles says. “We kind of look at this on an hour-by-hour, day-by-day basis. We’ll watch this throughout the day and into the morning and see how the interstate is impacted.”
Atchison County, in extreme northwest Missouri, has seen a couple of levees fail. A breach in one levee has widened. A make-shift mud levee, fortified with sandbags, has been erected in Craig as residents attempt to keep the Missouri River from overrunning the heart of the town.
Interstate 29, empty of traffic, south of Mound City.
Liles says MoDOT understands the impact of its action.
“It’s an impact. This is an interstate that brings through traffic up into Omaha and south from Omaha and brings goods and services,” Liles says, noting truck traffic is having to drive long distances on alternate routes to deliver their goods.
MoDOT is advising travelers to take I-35 north to I-80 west to get around the flooding and get back on I-29 north.
The Missouri River is at 27 feet at St. Joseph. The National Weather Service forecasts it to reach nearly 30-feet, a projection the Weather Service recently revised upward.
Flooding along the Missouri River in northwest Missouri has forced the closure of Interstate 29 to move south, now just north of St. Joseph.
The Missouri Department of Transportation has closed I-29 at Mile Marker 57, the intersection of U.S. 71. MoDOT had closed I-29 at Rock Port, due to flooding in Iowa. Floodwaters breached levees in northwest Missouri today, sending floodwaters across I-29 in Missouri.
Assistant District Engineer Jennifer Sardigal in MoDOT’s St. Joseph office says traffic traveling north on I-29 now will be diverted to U.S. 71.
“We’re closing it at 71 freeway where 71, 229, and 29 meet to divert the traffic going towards Iowa up 71,” says Sardigal.
This is the first time during the current flooding that water has threatened to cover I-29 in Missouri.
Stay informed about Missouri road conditions by using MoDOT’s Traveler Information Map, available online at modot.org, or through MoDOT’s smartphone app, available for iPhone and Android mobile devices.
You can also call 888-ASK-MODOT (888-275-6636) to speak with a customer service representative 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
MWSU President-Designate shares a laugh during his address on the St. Joseph campus.
A law professor from the University of Akron introduced himself to Missouri Western State University as the next Missouri Western president during a ceremony on the St. Joseph campus this afternoon.
President-Designate Matt Wilson says one of the most important things a university president can do is listen.
“As your incoming president, it’s my intention to solicit information, to listen intently to your thoughts, your observations, and your ideas,” Wilson told the crowd gathered at the Remington Atrium. “Please know that listening trumps any preconceived notions or any plans or things that I might have.”
Wilson served as president of the University of Akron in Ohio from 2016 to 2018 before returning to the Akron School of Law. Wilson led a two-year budget turn-around at the school, turning a $30 million deficit into a $12 million-dollar surplus.
Wilson said he’s excited to get started July first.
Wilson greets attendees after speaking to the group.
“It’s my mission to help the world discover the magic that we have here at Missouri Western,” Wilson said. “There are so many great things here at this university that range from accessibility to affordability, to quality, to hands-on practical learning, to opportunities in academics and music, the arts, sports, and life, and in leadership.”
Wilson said he sees a bright future ahead for Missouri Western.
“I’m convinced that here at Missouri Western, everything is possible, especially if we re-double our commitment to students, student success, applied learning, degree completion, service, workforce readiness and the like.”
Wilson will succeed Robert Vartabedian, who will retire after leading Missouri Western for 11 years.
The MWSU Board of Governors voted unanimously for Wilson to become the fifth president of Missouri Western.
Wilson has an extensive academic background. He served as associate dean of the University of Wyoming College of Law as well as senior associate dean and general counsel of Temple University Japan. He served as a visiting professor at three universities in Asia. Wilson worked in a law firm before beginning his career in higher education.
Cooper Nuclear Station/Nebraska Public Power District photo
Worries that the Cooper Nuclear Power Plant near Brownville, Nebraska would have to shut down have lessened as the projected crest of the Missouri River has dropped.
Nebraska Public Power District spokesman Mark Becker says the plant remains up and running at full capacity.
“Cooper nuclear station in Brownville is operating today at 100% as it has over the entire weekend,” according to Becker. “The levels for any kind of possible shutdown were never reached over the weekend. As a matter of fact, the water levels on the Missouri River have dropped.”
The National Weather Service reports the Missouri River is just below 26 feet at St. Joseph with an expected crest of 27.4 feet late Thursday.
Simply put, though the rising Missouri River threatened operations of the plant, it never rose high enough to shut down the plant.
“That’s primarily due to some levees that have collapsed on the Iowa side of the river and, of course, at Cooper, our levee on the Nebraska side is higher than what’s on the Missouri side, so water is flowing over the levee on the Missouri side onto the floodplain,” Becker says.
Cooper declared an “unusual event” when the Missouri River rose to 899 feet at the plant. The river level never reached 900 feet at the plant. The nuclear plant has to shut down when the level reaches 901.5 feet.
Essential staff remained at the plant this weekend. Non-essential staff are not required to come to the plant. Floodwaters overflowed Highway 136, cutting off access to Brownville from the Missouri side.
Missouri State Emergency Management Agency photo of northwest Missouri flooding.
Emergency management officials continue to closely watch the Missouri River, even as the level of the Missouri dipped a little over the weekend.
The National Weather Service reports the Missouri River at St. Joseph stood at 25.64 feet at 6:30 Sunday evening. The Missouri River level dropped a bit this weekend and now is heading toward major flood stage with NWS expecting the Missouri to crest late Wednesday at 28.1 feet, a full foot lower than earlier projections and below the record crest of 32.1 feet reached in 1993. The Missouri River rose to just under 30 feet at St. Joseph in 2011.
Gov. Mike Parson, who took a helicopter tour of flooding in northwest Missouri Friday, is hesitant to compare this year with 2011.
“I don’t know that we’re comparing it there, but we’re all concerned about is it going to be like 2011 or not? I don’t think any of us know this yet,” Parson tells reporters.
Still, Parson says officials are using the hard-earned experience of 2011 to make sure they can respond to whatever happens this year.
“We’ve been preparing for this,” Parson says. “Everybody’s trying to make sure we dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s and make sure we’re ready for this as best we can be.”
The state closed Interstate 29 at Rock Port Friday as floodwaters covered the interstate across the state line in Iowa. Missouri Department of Transportation officials have been directing traffic to Interstate 35, north to I-80, back across to I-29. High water has closed a number of area roads. Highway 136, which carries traffic from northwest Missouri to Brownville, Nebraska, has been closed.
Atchison County Emergency Management Director Rhonda Wiley says she observed many stressed levees during a helicopter tour of flooding with Gov. Parson.
“I believe that we saw some areas that were probably true breaches in Holt County,” Wiley says. “Then we saw some toppage up in Atchison County as well. And, so, I believe there are some areas that have already breached.”
Wiley says fewer than 100 homes had been flooded in Atchison County with all by two families seeking shelter with relatives or friends.
The threat of flooding at Rosecrans Memorial Airport has prompted the 139th Airlift Wing to take precautions. Vice Commander of the 139th, John Clark, says the C-130s at Rosecrans have been moved to higher ground.
“Mainly, right now, what we want to say is that we are still fully mission capable and engaged for you sir and for the nation as a whole and we’ll continue to remain at that level of readiness,” Clarks tells Gov. Parson.
A move by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had taken pressure off the Missouri River. The Corps reports it has reduced releases from the Gavins Point Dam, upstream at Yankton, South Dakota. The Corps had increased water releases from Gavins Point from 50,000 cubic feet per second to 90,000 to relieve widespread flooding in Nebraska. It announce over the weekend, it is reducing releases to 73,000 cfs with the intention of lowering releases to 20,000.
Gavins Point Dam/US Army Corps of Engineers file photo
By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Water releases from Gavins Point Dam upstream on the Missouri River are being scaled back by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the projected crest of the river has been lowered by the National Weather Service.
The Corps says it reduced releases from the dam at Yankton, South Dakota from 90,000 cubic feet per second to 73,000 Saturday morning. The Corps says it will continue to reduce releases from Gavins Point over the next few days, dropping to 20,000 cubic feet per second on Tuesday.
Widespread, devastating flooding in Nebraska prompted the Corps to increase flows from the upstream dam from 50,000 cubic feet per second to 90,000. While the move relieved pressure on Nebraska’s saturated river system, it increased fears the added water would cause additional flooding along the Missouri River downstream.
The National Weather Service reports the Missouri River actually dropped from just over 25 feet in St. Joseph to 24.85 feet at 5:30 Saturday evening. Still, NWS projects the Missouri will reach 29.3 feet by the middle of next week. That is lower than an earlier projection of 30 feet. The record crest of the Missouri River at St. Joseph is 32.1 feet, reached during the devastating flood of 1993.
Gov. Mike Parson addresses a news conference after touring northwest Missouri flooding.
Gov. Mike Parson tours flood damage in northwest Missouri, then addresses a news conference at St. Joseph’s Rosecrans Airport to assure area residents the state stands ready to help as the Missouri River rises to near record heights.
Parson says he observed the flooding during a helicopter tour of the area.
“There’s no question we’re concerned about this,” Parson tells reporters. “The water is going to rise. We know that. There are some levee breaches out there now, which I don’t know if that’s so terribly uncommon under these circumstances. It’s always a concern.”
Parson says his tour raised concerns about residents who have had to flee homes as the Missouri River continues to rise.
“Anytime you’re seeing that kind of devastation out there and you see water levels rising and you see people’s homes out there that’s getting close to the water line or electric plants, things like that that you see out there, there’s concern for that,” Parson says.
Gov. Parson speaks with state Sen. Dan Hegeman and Atchison County Emergency Management Dir. Rhonda Wiley as 139th Airlift Wing Vice Commander, John Clark, looks on.
Recent heavy rains, snowmelt up north, and additional water releases upstream have driven the Missouri River to heights the area hasn’t seen since the 2011 flood. The National Weather Service says the Missouri River at St. Joseph rose to higher than 25 feet Friday evening, heading toward a projected crest of 30.1 feet by Monday. The record crest is 32.1 feet, set in 1993.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers increased water releases from Gavins Point Dam in Yankton, South Dakota to ease widespread flooding in Nebraska. The Corps had been releasing 50,000 cubic feet per second and had intended to increase flows to 60,000. But with the devastating flooding in Nebraska, the Corps increase releases to 90,000, increasing worries about flooding downstream.
The Missouri and its tributaries have exceeded their banks in Iowa, overflowing Interstate 29 near Omaha. That prompted the Missouri Department of Transportation to close I-29 at mile marker 110 near Rock Port. Those wishing to travel north on I-29 are advised to take I-35 to I-80 and across.
Despite growing fears about increased flooding, Parson says he believes local emergency management agencies have responded well.
“I think right now everything is in place where it needs to be,” according to Parson. “We’ve got boots on the ground here. You’ve got the local level that understands this better than we do and that’s kind of why I’m here today, is to get that input from everyone who lives up here and try to do whatever we can to give them the tools they need to be successful to try to make sure we handle this situation the best we can.”
Interstate 29 near the Missouri/Iowa border has been closed due to flooding in Iowa.
The Missouri Department of Transportation reports I-29 at Rock Port, Mile Marker 110, has been closed.
MoDOT advises motorists wishing to travel north on I-29 to use Interstate 35, then I-80 in Iowa.
More Information
Full closures of I-29 are in place at
US 136 at Rock Port, Mo. (Exit 110); and
Iowa 92 South of Council Bluffs, Iowa (Exit 48)
Those who would normally use I-29 as a through route should instead use
I-35 N from Kansas City to
I-80 West in Des Moines to
I-29 near the Council Bluffs/Omaha metro area
and vice-versa until further notice.
Travelers already on I-29 North
Drivers who are currently heading north on I-29 should use US 71 North north of St. Joseph to I-35 if possible.
MoDOT says those north of the US 71 junction can continue to Rock Port, take US 136 East to US 71 north to I-35. Motorists should not take US 275 North, due to flooding in Hamburg, Iowa.
MoDOT advises motorists not to drive through floodwaters. It takes as little as six inches of water to take control of a vehicle away from the driver. Also, there might be unseen damage to the road surface below the floodwater.
MoDOT provides road condition information through its Customer Service Center. Dial 888-ASK-MODOT (888-275-6636) to speak with a customer service representative 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Click here for Missouri road conditions by the Missouri Department of Transportation.
Click here for Iowa road conditions by the Iowa Department of Transportation.
Click here for Nebraska road conditions by the Nebraska Department of Transportation.
By BRENT MARTIN