MEMPHIS, Tenn., April 30, 2017 – The Memphis District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) expects to begin Phase II floodfight activities at 7 a.m. on May 1 in the Missouri Bootheel and northeast Arkansas due to high river stages on the St. Francis River. The area of current or possible flooding is located in the Dexter and Kennett (Missouri) Floodfight Areas on the St. Francis River. Communities that may be affected include Fisk, Mo., and St. Francis, Ark.
As of 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 30, approximately 18 USACE field personnel were mobilizing to begin the floodfight response. The field personnel will conduct patrols each day from 6 a.m. until 6:30 p.m., checking the condition of levees and other flood protection structures and looking for problems like water seepage under levees. They will be supported by additional employees working at the USACE Emergency Operations Center at the District Headquarters office in Memphis.
During a Phase II activation, USACE personnel intensively monitor government flood risk reduction works. They also make technical and materiel assistance available to local communities and flood control organizations to aid them in their floodfighting efforts.
Looking forward, additional floodfight activities may be necessary on the White River in Arkansas near Georgetown, Ark.; on the Upper Mississippi River near Cape Girardeau, Mo.; and in the area of the Ohio and Mississippi River confluence near Cairo, Ill. As these situations evolve, USACE will deploy additional personnel and resources as required to ensure the safety of life and property.
Citizens are strongly encouraged to stay in touch with their local authorities and emergency management officials for updates on conditions in their areas.
The USACE Division headquarters in Vicksburg, Miss, coordinates all floodfight activities in the Mississippi Valley. The USACE Emergency Operations Center in Memphis directs all floodfight activities in its area of responsibility in conjunction with the affected states, levee districts and other local interest groups.
The Federal flood protection works in the Mississippi Valley protect many thousands of homes, millions of lives and vast tracts of fertile cropland. The Memphis District’s flood risk reduction system has prevented more than $4.3 billion in flood damages and protected more than five million acres of cropland in the last decade alone.
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Release no. 17-005