Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Thursday flood updates

Posted in:

Illinois

* The SJ-R started blogging about the floods the other day. Here’s a handy chart from the blog that gives us a look at how things are going…

* Levees breached: 4
* National Guardsman deployed: 1,100
* Counties declared disaster areas: 19
* State inmates filling sandbags: More than 300
* Record crest at Quincy: 32.2 feet (1993)
* Predicted crest at Quincy: 32.2 feet today
* Deaths: 0

* More…

The Army Corps, which operates river locks and dams, said 23 levees along the Mississippi had failed this week. It said 48 levees protecting more than 285,000 acres (115,335 hectares) of cropland from Dubuque, Iowa, to St. Louis, Missouri, were overflowing or at high flood risk.

* Illinois seems to be better prepared this time around, as this story illustrates…

Hull, a town of roughly 500 about nine miles from the Mississippi River, was under water when the levees broke during the flood of 1993.

That experience was enough to spring residents to action this time around.

“It’s so much smoother. This has been handled better this time,” said Cathy Fesler, whose family owns farmland in the Hull area. “Unfortunately, we could remember what happened last time.”

* I’ve been getting nothing but good reports about Gov. Blagojevich since he became engaged in the flood prevention and rescue efforts. He is often, however, prone to exaggeration…

Blagojevich [yesterday] said Quincy’s water treatment plant is at risk. If the plant goes underwater, the governor said, the city will need 128,000 bottles of water a day. Already, he said, the state has stockpiled 100,000 gallons of water in Springfield.

But Quincy Mayor John Spring said he isn’t worried. He doesn’t think the city’s water-treatment plant will flood.

“I don’t expect it at all — not at all,” the mayor said. “We’re in great shape.”

* And he might want to amend this comment…

“Every time we’ve asked President Bush for federal disaster relief … they’ve always complied,” Blagojevich said. “I have no reason to think they’ll do anything but what they’ve done in the past.”

The feds have denied aid in the past, which the state has appealed. Back in March, southern Illinois was denied FEMA assistance, Watseka got bad news several months ago, as did Rockford.

* Also, he might want to leave Statehouse politics out of it…

Gov. Rod Blagojevich said during a visit here Wednesday that Illinois’ ongoing battle with flooding increases the need for a statewide construction plan.

“What we’re learning here from the flooding could very well have an impact on the capital bill,” Blagojevich said. “The jobs bill is very relevant to this so we can provide resources to those affected by the flooding.”

* A bit of good news…

Corn prices retreated early on Thursday, having set record highs for two weeks on flooding that has submerged or stunted crops on millions of acres

* More…

* Southern Baptist disaster relief group drawn to flood

* Blagojevich says second command center will be set up in Quincy

* Quincy Civic Center Authority chairman lauds OLC staff for response to crisis

* River muscles over levees

* Midwest Flooding

* Lake County floodwaters receding, officials say

* Residents near Chain O’ Lakes use sandbags to build fort against flooding

* Crest at Quincy expected today; Blagojevich calls flood historic

* Governor predicts worst of flooding is yet to come

* Governor takes tour of flooding

* Levee breaks near Winfield

* Fox River Communities On Long Haul To Recovery

* The Daily Show was “in” Quincy and had this report last night…

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 9:06 am

Comments

I was sandbagging in Hull this week, and the people there are better prepared than they were in ‘93. They started preparations earlier. They had semi trailers outside their homes ready to be packed and moved (Thanks, Gully Trucking!). They had plenty of volunteers sandbagging. They didn’t, however, have as many people working the levees as they did in ‘93. The Sny levees were beginning to seep, but seemed to be holding well. We’ll see what happens today and tomorrow as the crests come through.

If the Sny breaks, and Hull floods again, I doubt most people would return, and that’s too bad. It’s a nice little town with good people.

Comment by Fan of the Game Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 9:29 am
Luv Stewart…altho’ the human tragedy and loss is devastating, sometimes a bit of humor can lighten the load…

Comment by Anonymous45 Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 9:43 am
The Quincy mayor went here: http://www.crh.no
aa.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?
wfo=lsx&gage=uin
i2&view=1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1
to the NWS stage projection page. The water plant flood wall is at 35 feet, well above the previously projected crest.

The other interesting thing about the stage record on this link, is that you can see the stage drop each time a nearby levee broke. And the projected stage height, which was initially over the record is now under it and will be adjusted lower.

Question: Would it be more cost effective to take out a few levees (or reduce their height) and pay the farmers for occasional losses? Using natural flood plain storage reduces crests and thereby damage to elevated structures, but the farmers take a hit.

Comment by Illinois Geologist Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 10:55 am
“Gov. Rod Blagojevich said during a visit here Wednesday that Illinois’ ongoing battle with flooding increases the need for a statewide construction plan.”

As if we didn’t already see that angle coming.

Comment by Squideshi Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 11:23 am
Geologist, you make a good point that seems to have been overlooked in the coverage of this event.
Many levees along the Illinois and Mississippi rivers were built not for flood control, but to wall off naturally existing wetlands or backwaters so that they could be drained and put to “productive” use as farmland. Unfortunately, this confines greater volumes of river water to a narrower channel, leading to worse floods.
Wetland restorations such as the Emiquon Project in Fulton County have the potential to reverse that process and alleviate future flooding by restoring a natural outlet for excess water.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 11:43 am
When I was a young man, I camped along Big Muddy outside of Hull, across from Hannibal. Felt like Huck Finn lightin out for the territory.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 11:45 am
There are strong arguments for increasing the number of wetlands to decrease flooding and reduce pollution by nutrients.

Tony Prato, economist at the University of Missouri at Columbia, estimated that society would save about $68 per acre by converting cropland to wetland and other native landscapes. Reducing flood damage and crop subsidy costs—while generating regional benefits in hunting, fishing, and recreation—would create the savings.

http://www.wetlands-initiative.org/FloodDamage.html

Comment by mitigate Thursday, Jun 19, 08 @ 1:23 pm
The Wetland Initiative has converted something like 1000 acres of Illinois River bottom land back into wetlands. From what I hear, it has been a huge success.

Here is their website:
http://www.wetlands-initiative.org/index.html

Comment by Huh? Tuesday, Jun 24, 08 @ 1:03 pm