BOONE COUNTY, MO. -- Emergency officials throughout Boone County said they’re prepared for potential flooding.
Emergency service organizations and local governments within the county continue to monitor Missouri River levels on a daily basis.
With a Missouri River level of about 25 feet, floodwaters are slowly creeping into the Boone County river town of Rocheport. Boone County authorities have pre-positioned some supplies along the river to help fight potential flooding.
Boone County Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Gale Blomenkamp said, “There has been a little bit of sand moved to the Hartsburg area. At this point, we’re holding off on moving sand to Rocheport. It’s readily available. We have the access to get to it. That’s what we mean by supplies have been inventoried and supplies have been moved.”
Government leaders from every city within Boone County are meeting on a regular basis to discuss flooding conditions and forecasts.
After the Great Flood of ’93, people in Boone County learned that flooding was not an isolated event. They found out that it takes teamwork to get through an emergency.
Columbia Assistant City Manager Tony St. Romaine has little concern for his city’s water treatment plant in McBaine because it can handle river levels of up to 40 feet. St. Romaine says he’s more concerned with helping his neighbors in other Boone County cities.
St. Romaine said, “Sandbags, plastic and jersey barriers, those are the 3 tools that you need in terms of a flood. We have adequate resources right now in terms of those types of materials. We’ve already started pre-positioning those around the county.”
With a projected crest of up to 33 feet in Boonville, Boone County floodwaters could eventually force people out of their homes and cover some major roadways.
Boone County authorities encourage everyone living near potential flooding along the Missouri River to prepare for evacuations and to monitor river levels on a daily basis.
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