By Chris Taylor
Paducah, KY – James Marine and other Paducah river industry facilities are scrambling to protect their businesses and livelihoods. Dozens of James Marine employees were building a private sandbag levee around their office building and moving equipment away from the Ohio River's reach. Chief Operating Officer Jeff James tells the Paducah Sun the company's operations were running until Sunday, but now everything's shut down except for in Wickliffe. The company's machine shops housing millions of dollars in equipment are still at risk. The Walker Boat Yard may have suffered damage and James' employees could be at a standstill for some time. James predicts cost estimates will be catastrophic' in the multi-millions, but hopes the business will be back in operation in the coming weeks.