The National Weather Service issued flood warnings today, stretching from north of St. Joseph to mid-Missouri
5 years after historic damage in Holt County, Missouri prepares for more potential flooding
The National Weather Service issued flood warnings today, stretching from north of St. Joseph to mid-Missouri
IT ALL BEGINS AT 630 AND WILL LAST AN HOUR. A LOCAL SUMMER PROGRAM IS LEADING THE WAY, HELPING STUDENTS STAY PREPARED FOR THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR. DURING THE SUMMER BREAK, STUDENTS CAN LOSE THEIR READING AND MATH SKILLS. THIS IS KNOWN AS THE SUMMER SLIDE, AND THAT IS WHERE THE GREATER YMCA OF KANSAS CITY SPARK PROGRAM COMES IN. YEAH, YOU CAN SEE THOSE. AHA MOMENTS ON KIDS WHEN THEY START TO HAVE THOSE SUCCESSES AND THEY SEE THOSE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THE FIRST WEEK WE DID THIS, THEY WERE STRUGGLING WITH SOME SIGHT WORDS OR SPELLING. THOSE THINGS AREN’T IT’S A LITTLE MORE FLUID. IT’S A LITTLE EASIER THESE RIGHT NOW. AND THE PROGRAM SAYS EACH YEAR STUDENTS ARE NOT ONLY MAINTAINING A GRADE LEVELS IN READING AND MATH, BUT MAKING IMPROVEMENTS. RIGHT NOW, HISTORIC RAINFALL IN SOUTH DAKOTA BREAKS A DAM IN THE MISSOURI RIVER BASIN. WHAT YOU’RE SEEING RIGHT NOW IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN THE NORTHWEST IOWA TOWN OF SMITHLAND, WHERE, AS YOU CAN SEE, MOST OF THE TOWN IS UNDER WATER AND ALL OF THAT WATER IS HEADING DOWN RIVER TO US. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ISSUED FLOOD WARNINGS TODAY FROM NORTH OF SAINT JOSEPH. ALL THE WAY TO MID MISSOURI. KMBC NINE’S MATT EVANS TALKED TO LOCAL LEADERS ALONG THE RIVER. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU’RE PREPARED. FIVE YEARS AFTER THIS HISTORIC FLOODING IN HOLT COUNTY THAT DESTROYED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF PROPERTY AND LEFT HOMES UNDERWATER FOR MONTHS, THE AREA IS STILL RECOVERING FROM THE DEVASTATION. THE LEVEES JUST NOW GOT BUILT, FINISHED UP, BEING BUILT BACK LAST YEAR, ACTUALLY, MY LEVEE DID AND IT HASN’T HAD TIME TO GET GOOD GRASS GROWTH ON IT YET. AND FOR LEADERS HERE, HIGH RIVER LEVELS ARE KEEPING THEM ON EDGE AGAIN. ACTUALLY, I LOOK AT THAT RIVER LEVEL GRAPH EVERY HOUR WHILE THE RIVER IS EXPECTED TO CREST WELL BELOW THE HISTORIC FLOODS OF 2019. LEVELS ARE PROJECTED TO BE ABOUT A FOOT OR TWO UNDER SOME LEVEES, LEAVING VERY LITTLE ROOM IF THAT FORECAST IS OFF, IT DOESN’T HURT TO BE PREPARED. NOBODY WANTS TO LEAVE BECAUSE 4TH OF JULY IS COMING UP. BUT HUH, YOU CAN’T THINK ABOUT THAT RIGHT NOW. YOU GOT TO BE CONCERNED AND WATCH THE RIVER LEVEL ON A FLOOD RESPONSE UPDATE CALL THIS AFTERNOON. I HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE SYSTEM’S ABILITY TO MITIGATE THE WORST EFFECTS. THE US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS SAY THEY ARE READY TO RESPOND TO WHATEVER THIS FLOODING MIGHT BRING, AND THEY’RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO SLOW RELEASES FROM THE GAVINS POINT DAM IN SOUTH DAKOTA SOON. IF THAT RATE CONTINUES, WE WILL PROBABLY BE ABLE TO DECREASE RELEASES TOMORROW MORNING. BUT RAIN IN THE FORECAST BETWEEN THE DAM AND HOLT COUNTY COULD COMPLICATE THINGS. WE PRAY FOR NO RAIN NORTH OF HERE FOR AT LEAST A WEEK OR SO, LEAVING EVERYONE HERE WATCHING RIVER LEVELS VERY CLOSELY. MATT EVANS KMBC NINE NEWS.
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5 years after historic damage in Holt County, Missouri prepares for more potential flooding
The National Weather Service issued flood warnings today, stretching from north of St. Joseph to mid-Missouri
The National Weather Service issued flood warnings today, stretching from north of St. Joseph to mid-Missouri. This warning comes five years after historic flooding in Holt County. The area is still recovering from the devastation."The levee just now got finished getting built back last year — my levee did — and it hasn't had to get good grass growth on it yet," Holt County Presiding Commissioner Tom Bullock said.Flooding in 2019 destroyed millions of dollars of property and left homes underwater for months. The new NWS warning has some people in the area on edge. "Actually, I look at that river level graph every hour," Bullock said.While the river is expected to crest well below the historic floods of 2019, levels are projected to be just about a foot or two under the levee. This leaves very little room if that forecast is off. "It doesn't hurt to be prepared. I know nobody wants to leave because the Fourth of July is coming up, but you can't think about that right now. You've got to be concerned and watch the river level," Bullock said.On a flood response update call this afternoon, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expressed their readiness to respond to whatever this flooding might bring. "We have confidence in the system's ability to mitigate the worst effects," Mike Dulin, an emergency management specialist with the Kansas City district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said.They also mentioned plans to slow water releases from the Gavin's Point Damn in South Dakota soon. Representatives said Tuesday that they may be able to decrease releases starting on Wednesday.However, rain in the forecast between the dam and Holt County could complicate things. "We pray for no rain north of here for at least a week or so," Bullock said. The highest waters are expected to hit Holt County sometime this weekend. Everyone is watching the river levels very closely.
HOLT, Mo. —
The National Weather Service issued flood warnings today, stretching from north of St. Joseph to mid-Missouri.
This warning comes five years after historic flooding in Holt County.
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More rain possible in deluged Midwest as flooding kills 2
The area is still recovering from the devastation.
"The levee just now got finished getting built back last year — my levee did — and it hasn't had to get good grass growth on it yet," Holt County Presiding Commissioner Tom Bullock said.
Flooding in 2019 destroyed millions of dollars of property and left homes underwater for months. The new NWS warning has some people in the area on edge.
"Actually, I look at that river level graph every hour," Bullock said.
While the river is expected to crest well below the historic floods of 2019, levels are projected to be just about a foot or two under the levee.
This leaves very little room if that forecast is off.
"It doesn't hurt to be prepared. I know nobody wants to leave because the Fourth of July is coming up, but you can't think about that right now. You've got to be concerned and watch the river level," Bullock said.
On a flood response update call this afternoon, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expressed their readiness to respond to whatever this flooding might bring.
"We have confidence in the system's ability to mitigate the worst effects," Mike Dulin, an emergency management specialist with the Kansas City district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said.
They also mentioned plans to slow water releases from the Gavin's Point Damn in South Dakota soon. Representatives said Tuesday that they may be able to decrease releases starting on Wednesday.
However, rain in the forecast between the dam and Holt County could complicate things.
"We pray for no rain north of here for at least a week or so," Bullock said.
The highest waters are expected to hit Holt County sometime this weekend. Everyone is watching the river levels very closely.
