MOKANE - Floods along the Missouri River near Jefferson City are now predicted to crest at 32.8 feet byMonday, according to the National Weather Service.
That would make this the fifth-highest flood ever recorded in this part of Missouri, displacing a 32.6-foot flood in 1947 but falling just short of a 33.05 flood in May of 1995. As of 12:45 p.m. Friday, the river stood at 32.36 feet.
"If you go by the measurement at Chamois, it's the third highest," Eric Byrne said, standing in front of the Mokane Bar and Grill.
Byrne lives in nearby Portland. He remembers the area's highest: the Flood of 1993. He was 9 years old at the time.
"I remember it - it was a lot higher," he said, then gestured at the bar's wall. "They say the water was up to this window."
Sections of Missouri 94 are underwater, particularly the intersections with Route C and Route PP. Gravel roads connecting with Missouri 94 may be flooded as well, including County Road 481. County commissioner Gary Jungermann said roads in the vicinity of Cedar Creek, in the county's southwest corner, have been under water for a while.
"We're going to have to work to get those built back up," he said. "Countywide, we've had our fair shares of issues. Seems like the last several years we're getting bigger rains than we used to get. The river bottom roads don't bother too many people; we'll get down there and get a little rock into them."
Typically, the Missouri flows about 2,000 feet away from the Route C/94 intersection. Now, the Missouri's backwaters have moved into town and shows no signs of budging.
Shoals of minnows throng in the gutters along Route C. A colony of swallows have already built nests under the eaves of a gray building, from which they swoop en masse to feed on Mokane's burgeoning mosquito population.
"The birds came in with the water," Byrne said.
Watch the water long enough and you may see a crawdad trundling down the street, or a bullfrog tadpole popping up for air.
The still water smells of fish and manure - a smell that's likely to intensify when the water slowly recedes.
Impacts
Few homes in Callaway County have been directly impacted by flooding, Emergency Operations Center Director Michelle Kidwell said Wednesday.
"I am working closely with the (Callaway) Sheriff Department with regards to any life safety issues that may arise to include evacuations if necessary," she said. "Currently, I have one family displaced."
Jungermann said the American Red Cross is aiding people displaced by the flood. The county's disaster relief fund is open for donations and requests as well, though funds are currently low.
Any victim who wants to request funds can contact the Community Organizations Active in Disasters chair at 573-642-5750 or the Callaway County Office of Emergency Management at 573-592-2480.
People interested in making a donation can mail funds to the treasurer's office at 10 E. 5 St., Room 109 in Fulton. Checks should be made to the Callaway County Treasurer's office with a note marking it for the disaster relief fund.
Businesses in the vicinity of Jefferson City haven't been as lucky. Besides the recent EF-3 tornado, many have ground to a halt as buildings flood and equipment needs evacuation.
"The bad news is it's flooding,; the good news is most of those businesses down there are very familiar with this type of situation," Jungermann said.
Commuters who rely on Missouri 94 are having to find time-consuming detours.
"I have to drive an hour to get here instead of the usual 10 minutes," Byrne said.
No one can say how long it'll be before 94 can reopen. It depends on many factors, from precipitation upriver to snowmelt. And more storms were expected over the weekend.
"I'm not trying to predict anything because Mother Nature will trick you, but I think we're going to be in the situation we're in for a good while yet," Jungermann said.