General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums285 roads are closed in MO due to flooding and much of STL is underwater
First responders from outisde cities and towns are deploying to the hard hit areas.
The notoriously fast-rising Meramec was causing the most havoc, advancing toward I-44 and against the new levee system at Valley Park, which was built after a record flood there in December 1982. The Meramec jumped 27 feet from Saturday to late Tuesday, when it was at 35 feet and heading toward a crest Thursday of 43 feet more than 3 feet over the record. It will test the top of the levee.
The Meramec also threatened several other records along its lower reaches.
Valley Park Mayor Mike Pennise said he recommended that people living near the levee move out and promised to order a mandatory evacuation when the river reaches 40 feet. He said the levee protects to 44 feet, and flood gates to 42.5 feet, but crews can top the thick gates with sandbags if necessary.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/flooding-spreads-through-the-st-louis-region/article_d1ef5a26-b8c8-5cb1-b929-4867cbf72eae.html
Flood records that were set in spring and summer months are being broken. You'd think it was getting warmer or something!
I wonder if there will be some climate change converts. It will be interesting to see what MO republican legislators have to say about it.
Response to loyalsister (Original post)
Name removed Message auto-removed
Gman
(24,780 posts)This is an El Niño thing, one of the strongest if not the strongest on record. Global warming exacerbates the El Niño effects. But does not solely or even marginally drive what's happening. It's weather, not climate.
loyalsister
(13,390 posts)your claim seems to be contractory. Exacerbates would seem to me that it plays at least a "marginal" role in driving the disaster that is taking place.
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/08/14/godzilla-el-nino-forming-in-pacific-st-louis-meteorologist-studies-impact-here/
Gman
(24,780 posts)A couple of years ago. I'm not an expert, but it seems to correlate to warmer Arctic waters and a warmer Humboldt Current and would be global warming related. El Nino waters are much further south and much closer to the equator. There may have been worse El Ninos in the past. We've only been keeping records since the 1950's.
I'm not going to debate the issue with you though. I'll leave that to the experts.
BTW, it's not shown nor is it thought that global warming causes an El Niño event
2naSalit
(86,765 posts)that it was an act of gawd.
libdem4life
(13,877 posts)Seriously, I have family in St. Louis and we're all praying.
icymist
(15,888 posts)Fighting the flood: Taylorville teens missing; devastation in Kincaid; sandbagging continues elsewhere
Divers searched for two missing teenagers near Sangchris Lake and Pawnee, and a five-block-long levee was being furiously constructed in Petersburg as communities throughout central Illinois on Wednesday continued their battle against floodwaters left behind by a three-day rainstorm that ended Monday.
The Sangamon River was expected to crest Thursday just short of record levels, which would begin to bring relief to many residents who have dealt with deep and dangerous standing water all week.
The most serious of Wednesday's developments was near the Sangamon-Christian county line, where authorities searched floodwaters for two 18-year-olds from Taylorville.
Devan Everett and Brandon Mann, were last seen at Mann's house on Monday, Taylorville police said. Divers concentrated their search in the near severely flooded areas around Sangchris Lake and Pawnee, which is where Mann's wireless phone was tracked around 12:20 a.m. Tuesday.
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20151230/fighting-flood-taylorville-teens-missing-devastation-in-kincaid-sandbagging-continues-elsewhere/?Start=1
(FYI, Half of my family is in this area, from Chatum to St. Petersburg.)
loyalsister
(13,390 posts)I saw footage of a house floating along the Meremac river. So many people are in danger and affected. Just about 300 miles west, they are dealing with ordinary snow storms that I remember growing up with.
icymist
(15,888 posts)They're up in PA right now, so they're okay. Their house, that I do not know. Also, the area where Rt 29 is closed is where I used to live back in '91. And, I just got off FB with a friend who lives in Springfield and she says that there is little flooding there and the city is mostly unaffected. Stay safe everyone!
SheilaT
(23,156 posts)and it looks considerably higher than it did in 1993. That year we (hubby and 2 kids) went to St. Louis for the 4th of July. I don't recall encountering any closed roads at the time.
loyalsister
(13,390 posts)Overall, it keeps getting worse than predicted. The worst thing is this caught people completely off guard. It's bound to freeze long before the waters fully subside and we can only hope that it won't unleash flooding again if it melts too quickly. There's no telling how long this will last.
400 roads closed now. It's quite a switch to be "water locked" in these parts.
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/death-toll-rises-missouri-floods-threat-not-over-n488181
pintobean
(18,101 posts)We got all the rain locally this time, which affects all of the tributaries to the major rivers. In '93, most of the rain and snow melt was coming from north and west of here, so it just affected the Missouri and the Mississippi.