The latest local news, weather and high school sports in and around Columbia and Jefferson City

For nearly a week, crews in South Dakota have been working around the clock-- building up levees aimed at protecting communities from the Missouri River's rising waters.

200 National Guard members and 80 prison inmates helped fill sandbags Thursday in order to help protect windows and basements.

"People out here need our help. We need to get done as much as we can in a short period of time before the levels of the water rise.” Knodel Contractors Kelley Knodel said.

Residents in northwest Missouri towns are also being encouraged to prepare for possible flooding.

Gov. Jay Nixon said Missouri is gearing up for imminent and "unprecedented" flooding along the Missouri River.

He said MO state officials have been working with the Missouri National Guard, the State Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies to prepare for the flooding.

Nixon warns people with property and businesses in the floodplain should prepare for "unprecedented high water levels."

Officials in Big Lake and Fortescue, Missouri are urging residents to begin moving possessions to higher ground and to think about evacuating as the Missouri River swells past flood stage.

With record releases expected from upstream reservoirs, the Missouri River level may reach 25 feet at Rulo, Neb., later this month.

Holt County emergency management officials are also encouraging residents in the Missouri River floodplain to prepare to evacuate.

Big Lake and Fortescue officials say residents should prepare to be out of their homes for a while, and a shelter is being set up in Mound City.

So are you concerned about the Missouri River flooding here in Jefferson City? Tell us what you think.

(The Associated Press Contributed to this article)