By Angela Hatton
Smithland, KY – The Paducah National Weather Service has raised the crest predictions for the Ohio River at Smithland and Paducah. The river will now crest at both cities around 58 feet this Friday. Livingston County Emergency Management Director David Koon says Smithland below Highway 60 and parts of the interior city are under mandatory evacuations. Other communities may soon join the order. Koon says the current levee can't be built up enough to stop the water.
"It won't physically support its own weight. When you start getting up it's already four or five feet tall and whenever you try to raise it another four or five foot, sandbags and the weight of the water'll will knock it right over."
Koon says the Red Cross in Paducah has opened a shelter for Livingston County residents at Margaret Hanks Memorial Church. He says residents should get out soon before water covers roads into McCracken County.
Paducah Red Cross Director Jessica Toren says the tri-county shelter has about 20 people, with room for more. Toren says additional shelters are on standby. Paducah workers are installing the last of the city's 47 floodgates. Deputy Judge Executive Doug Harnice says they've also installed pumps at the edges of the floodwall to keep water down. Harnice expects the Army Corps of Engineers will decide soon to blow a levee in southeast Missouri to relieve some of the Ohio River flooding.
"And that will drop it here probably two or three feet. But what we're concerned is, if they blow that levee, will Kentucky and Barkley release more water on us? So, and they're going to have to sooner or later because above they're getting pretty close to, y'know they can't hold but a certain amount of water."
The city has set up barricades near the floodwall downtown to prevent people from driving near it. Harnice says the river will likely stay between 56 and 58 feet for several days after it crests.
Flood predictions for Cairo, Illinois, remain stable for the next week at a 61 and a half feet. City officials say Governor Pat Quinn is on sight today to survey the flooding.
The National Weather Service predicts additional rainfall tonight. Forecasters say crest predictions could go higher.