The Missouri River is NOT closed in St Joseph, although that could happen soon.

The U.S. Coast Guard has closed a portion of the river to all vessel traffic from the Missouri-Iowa border north to the Gavins Point Dam in Yankton, South Dakota.

At the current time, there are no restrictions on recreational boat traffic on the Missouri River near St Joseph.  As river levels rise, that situation could change.

For the latest information, visit the web site for Division Eight of the United States Coast Guard here.

News releases are posted in the blue field along the right side of the page.

Wire Rope has signed an agreement to buy an eastern European company.  If regulators approve, WireCo WorldGroup Inc will buy Drumet Liny i Druty from a central European investment group.  Drumet is a leading maker of steel wire, steel wire band, and wire ropes.  WireCo CEO Ira Glazer says the purchase accelerates Wire Rope’s expansion into the eastern European market.  WireCo is already the world’s leading producer and marketer of specialty wire ropes.  WireCo is headquartered in Kansas City and operates a plant in Saint Joseph.

Guests at St Joseph hotels and motels will soon pay a six percent tax to fund downtown and riverfront development in the city.  Voters approved the measure to double the tax Tuesday.

About ten percent of eligible voters cast ballots Tuesday.  Last year, voters turned down a larger increase in the tax.  This year, supporters included a 20-year sunset clause and earmarked the revenues.

According to the Buchanan County Clerk’s Office, 2,884 voters (58.37%) said “yes,” while, 2,057 (41.63%) voted “no.”  Here is the official tabulation from clerk’s office.

The tax is targeted to a possible downtown events center, along with improvements along the Missouri River.  It’s expected to generate about $500,000 a year.

The cities of St Joseph and Rock Port still need volunteers to fill sandbags in advance of rising Missouri River releases.

The City of Rock Port is asking that anyone 16 years of age or older and who can do some heavy lifting please come to the Rock Port water plant on Hwy 136 beginning at 5PM each day through Sunday to assist with sandbagging.

You should be willing and able to commit to increments of at least 2 hours Please refrain from bringing children under the age of 16 to the sandbagging site

St Joseph sandbagging operations continue: the city needs 250,000 on hand to protect the city from rising river levels.

The Missouri Air National Guard 139th Airlift Wing is conducting 24-hour operations on 8-hour shifts, and will do so until Sunday evening.   City crews are also conducting sandbagging operations to reach the required number of sandbags. Prisoners from WRDDC and the women’s prison in Chillicothe are also filling sandbags for the city.

Officials say they still need volunteers. Operations run from 7am to 7pm through Sunday evening, June 12th.

The United Way of Greater St. Joseph will be serving as the initial point of contact for individuals and groups wishing to volunteer. Those interested should call the United Way office at 816.364.2381 or www.stjosephunitedway.org for opportunities.

Volunteer Coordinator Carol Flury says you can just show up at the work site as well. It’s located south of Sixth and Atchison in the Rent-All parking lot.

Yust be 16 years old Must show photo id when signing in at sandbagging site. You should wear appropriate clothing including close-toed shoes and gloves.

On Thursday, 38-prisoners from the women’s prison in Chillicothe were hard at work at the City Yard using an automated device to fill sandbags. Prisoners from WRDDC in St Joe worked at the 6th and Atchison site, where a number of volunteers were also hard at work.

RIVER LEVELS
At about 2 p.m. Tuesday, the Missouri River stage was 22.1 feet.  That number was expected to rise to 23.1 feet by 7pm, Saturday evening (June 11).  Gavin’s Point dam flow releases were at 130,000 cubic feet per second (cfs), with increases to 140,000 cfs Wednesday.  For each 10,000 cfs increase, the Missouri River, at St. Joseph, will rise approximately 1 foot.  The United States Corps of Engineers predicts river levels to be in a range from 27 to 32 feet at St. Joseph, depending on rain fall south of Gavin’s Point dam.

SANDBAGGING OPERATIONS / VOLUNTEERS NEEDED (click here)

POSSIBLE EVACUATIONS
Preparations are underway for two areas of the city should it become necessary to evacuate due to the high levels of the river. The north area, along Water Works Road, will be placed under a voluntary evacuation when / if the river reaches a level of 25 feet. Mandatory evacuation will occur when / if the river levels reach 27 feet. Residents in this area will be notified accordingly.

The other area of concern is in the south side of the city. When river levels reach approximately 30 feet, it will become necessary to begin the voluntary evacuation process. Final details of this plan will be released in the near future.

RUMORS
Two rumors have surfaced, which the city wishes to dispel.

Drinking water supply – Officials at Missouri American Water have assured city officials that the city’s water supply is not, nor will it be, in jeopardy.

Blowing levees – There is no plan to deliberately cause a levee to fail. The 2011 event is a sustained event, unlike past river floods. There is no advantage gained by deliberately causing one levee to fail in hope of lowering the river elevation for another levee downstream.

City officials will continue to monitor the river elevations in the coming days and weeks. For more information, residents can check cable channel 19 or visit the city’s website at www.stjoemo.info. Updates will be posted as necessary.

The downtown branch of the St Joseph YMCA is once again offering its lobby for the community to get relief from high temperatures and heat index readings in the triple digits.

The Y will open its lobby for people to come in and cool off.  Officials say that during winter months, they see anywhere from two to twenty people in the lobby to stay warm.

The St Joe YMCA’s downtown branch is located at 315 South 6th Street

Representatives Sam Graves of Missouri and Lynn Jenkins will tour areas likely to be affected by rising floodwaters along the Missouri River on Friday.  They will be accompanied by the Commander of the Kansas City District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Col. Anthony Hoffman.

The pair invited the Corps to join them as they survey the potential for damage in Northeast Kansas and Northwest Missouri.

In a news release, Graves said “this is an opportunity to show the Corps how flooding on this scale impacts the lives of people downstream.”

“I’ve spoken with many constituents who believe that more needs to be done to protect their homes, businesses and farms from the flooding.”

Graves had previously asked the Corps to slow the release of water.   In addition, a link to flooding resources has been added to Graves’ official website at  www.house.gov/graves.

The details of the tour have not yet been set, but it is likely to begin in St. Joseph on Friday.

In anticipation of flooding, Department of Natural Resources officials have closed the Big Lake State Park in Holt County.

The state park is on the oxbow lake near the Missouri River and also closed last year because of flooding.

Staff members are moving furniture and other items and shutting off utilities at the park.

It will re-open once officials determine it is safe to return.

The Missouri River is expected to start increasing in Missouri starting Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.  150,000 cubic feet per second of water will be released from Gavins Point Dam in South Dakota.

Craig Sheppard is the president of the board of directors of the Elwood-Gladden Drainage District in Doniphan County, Kansas. We caught up with Craig on the levee as contractors were repairing a scour hole caused by the 2010 flooding event. The job was approved by the Army Corps of Engineers last year, but was accelerated because of rising releases upstream on the Missouri River.

Workers dump a permanent cover of rock, called “rip rap,” to shore up eroded areas of the levee. Contractors are also building a haul road within the levee’s boundaries to carry tons of sand, which will be used in coming weeks to reinforce the levee.

Sheppard says the levee is in good shape. He offered two words of advice for residents faced with some daunting numbers from the National Weather Service and the Army Corps of Engineers: “Don’t Panic.”