Community comes together to prepare for flood
Sandbags form a wall in front of businesses in Downtown Eureka after hours of work by volunteers.
Over the past three days, the Meramec River near Eureka, MO has reached flood levels and has continued to climb. The river is predicted to crest at 45.9 feet at 1 a.m. on Wednesday, May 3. This prediction is only 0.2 feet less than the historic flood in December of 2015, when the river reached a record 46.1 feet.
The flood in 2015 greatly affected the people of Eureka. For Tim Jones, Eureka resident, this year’s rising flood levels are similar to the 2015 disaster.
“It was very, very eerily reminiscent of what happened in December of 2015. I had a bad feeling the same thing was going to happen. Unfortunately, I was right,” Jones said.
I am really impressed with all the young men and women who have come out on their day off to help. Whether they’re affected by the flood or not, they’re out here to help us and we really appreciate that.
— Tim Jones, Eureka resident
The Eureka community has come together in an attempt to keep floodwaters away from businesses, homes and schools. In areas such as Downtown Eureka and Eureka High School, volunteers gathered to sandbag.
In a message to the Rockwood community, Superintendent Dr. Eric Knost shared his thoughts on the help provided by the local community.
“I continue to be extremely impressed by our Rockwood school community. We had staff, students, parents and community members throughout the district showing up unsolicited to help and support,” Knost said.
In this message, Knost also informed the district that all schools will be closed on Tuesday, May 2. Whether or not the district will stay closed throughout the week is still to be decided.
With under 36 hours until the river crests, the community is using every last minute to prepare for the flood.
For continuing flood coverage, stay tuned to our website and social media platforms.
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