Flooding causes concern for farmers, river workers

High amounts of rainfall in Ohio and upper Mississippi River waters has caused moderate to major flooding in Missouri and Arkansas, and the Blytheville area in particular has been affected by the unusual flooding of the river.

Jim Pogue of the Army Corps of Engineers in Memphis, TN said, "We do expect the river to continue to rise another three feet or so; however, for people that live behind the levee, they have no precautions to take as the water level is not expected to top the levees."

The river gauge upstream of Blytheville in Caruthersville reads at 33.34 feet and is predicted to rise to 36.72 feet. The closest river gauge to Blytheville, located in Osceola, currently reads at 29.71 feet and is expected to rise to over 32 feet. The river as a whole is not expected to crest until July 9. By that time if the northern rainfall does not continue, then the river can be expected to recede.

"For many farmers though, we do expect to see a high loss in crops for those that planted over the levees, by the time the river recedes completely it will be too late for many crops to be replanted," said Pogue.

"At this time we won't really know the extent of the loss or how many acres of crops were affected until the waters recede and the damage is evaluated," said Jason Osborne from the Mississippi County Extension Office of Arkansas State University Division of Agriculture.

However, crops are not the only thing the Mississippi flooding affects. With barge industries (used to shuttle scrap metal down the river) lining the Mississippi in the Armorel/Barfield area of Mississippi County, such as Kinder Morgan, it presents an even higher danger to barge workers. Higher waters means a faster flow rate and more violent river currents that churn and cause crashing waves on the shores.

"Higher waters means more dangers. It makes it tougher to do my job because I have to spend twice as much time on a barge. The flood waters means more current and faster, choppier waters; I need to make sure my measurements are accurate for both parties. The flooding also means more drift which only presents more dangers," said local barge worker, Derick Lossing.

Lossing's boat captain,Tony Ayers of Kinder Morgan, said, "I have to worry even more about the safety of my crew as well as myself. I have to keep my eyes on them 100 percent of the time when they are on deck or working a tow. With higher waters it makes the eddies a lot stronger and makes it harder for barges to push upriver. Safety is definitely more crucial when the river is at flood stage."

kevans@blythevillecourier.com