Craig, Mo., must evacuate because of floodwaters

By KATHLEEN POINTER

The Kansas City Star

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The 300 residents of Craig, Mo., have 48 hours to evacuate their homes, starting at noon today.

“With the levee failures, we’ll have water encroaching on us right away,” said project manager Terry Eaton. “There are elderly who need assistance, so now is the time to do it.”

Craig is in Holt County in northwest Missouri, where floodwaters topped several levees over the weekend and on Monday.

At Gavins Point Dam in South Dakota, the Army Corps of Engineers started releasing water at a peak rate of 150,000 cubic feet per second last Tuesday. The release is expected to stay at that rate through mid-August.

The weekend levee problems should not significantly slow water traveling downstream, said Col. Bob Ruch of the Army Corps of Engineers.

In other developments Monday:

•Atchison County, Mo.: Water was still flowing over a levee that was topped Sunday, but the river had dropped a foot to 44.14 feet. The peak Sunday was a record.

Officials expect the river to go back up in coming days.

County officials are watching an area between U.S. 136 and Watson in addition to a spot at the southern end of the county, where they feared a seeping levee might be breached.

•Beverly: Sandbagging is planned for 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day this week in this Platte County community at Missouri 92 and 45. Volunteers are asked to check in at the blue canopy and to bring gloves, work boots and a hat.

•Leavenworth: Water is expected to rise about a foot in the next five days, reaching a level of 23.8 feet. Water has yet to spill into Riverfront Park, but it is expected to do so in the next few days, public information officer Sara Wright said.

•Parkville: Spokeswoman Gia McFarlane said the area was in moderate flood stage Monday and planning in case water reached Missouri 9.