Floods threaten: car lost to waters over Hwy. M

It seems like only last week — wait, it was only last week! — that the North Missourian was reporting on a drought. How things change in just a week or so. Now rain gauges are overflowing and so are the creeks and flood warnings are posted for the Grand at Pattonsburg by the National Weather Service. There is a chance of rain today (Wednesday, Oct. 10) and a 50% chance again on Friday.

Mandi Bird, Executive Director at the Farm Service Agency in Gallatin, says the amounts vary around the county, but since Thursday evening, Oct. 4, when the rains started, to Oct. 8, the county had recorded 8.21 inches of rain.

This is a relief from short-term drought, Ms. Bird says, but so far this year the county has received only 27.21 inches of the year, and should be at about 36 inches.

“We’re still about nine inches behind,” she says. “But this rain did fill up some ponds and relieve the immediate drought. For the 2018 calendar year, August and October were the only two months when rains were above normal.”

Lack of rain for the rest of the months of the year placed Daviess County on the U.S. Drought Monitor at a D3 (extreme) rating only last week.

Ms. Bird noted that Daviess County may be taken off the U.S. Drought monitor by next week.

Rivers rising

Moderate flooding is occurring and major flooding is forecasted for the Grand River at Pattonsburg, according to a social media posting by Daviess County Central 911 Tuesday afternoon. Flood stage is 25 feet, latest stage 30.7 feet, forecast 37.3 feet early Wednesday. At 32 feet, the business section of old town Pattonsburg begins to flood. At 34.5 feet, U.S. Hwy 69 south of Pattonsburg floods.

Roads closed

Roads currently closed in Daviess County due to flooding include two closures on State Route AA, and two closures on State Route Z, both are over Sampson Creek. On State Route AA North, the closure is from Route Z east to Route T east. On State Route AA South, the closure is from Route T east to Route Z east. On State Route Z east the closure is from Route AA south to CST Dilley Street east. On State Route Z west, the closure is from CST Dilley Street east to Route AA south.

Situations can change quickly, especially during flooding. With the recent rain roads could flood without warning. Missouri Department of Transportation crews are monitoring road conditions closely and have closed several sections of roadway in the Northwest due to flooding. To see roadways closed due to flooding, travelers have a few options:

MoDOT’s App: Search “MoDOT Traveler Information” in your app store.

MoDOT’s online Traveler Information Map, found at: http://traveler.modot.org/map/

Text report of flooded roads, sortable by county: http://traveler.modot.org/report/modottext.aspx?type=flood.

MoDOT’s 24-hour Customer Service line: 888 ASK MODOT (1-888-275-6636)

With flash flooding roads can be closed or reopened on short notice. Motorists are reminded to stay alert and to not drive through any water over the roadway. It only takes six inches of water (or less!) to lose control of your vehicle and possibly be swept into rising floodwaters.

Any time there is water over the roadway, there may be unseen damage to the road surface below. Do not drive through water over a roadway or around construction barricades. MoDOT encourages all motorists to Turn Around! Don’t Drown.

Pictured: Daviess County Emergency Management received a call for the rescue of a man atop a car on Route M in southeast Daviess County on Monday, Oct. 8. The man, however, was able to exit and was standing on the side of the road when emergency responders arrived. This picture of the car, visible in the receding flood water, was taken by Pat Huffman on Tuesday morning. Pat lives nearby. Her video of the floodwaters over Route M, posted on the social media pages of both this newspaper and Pat, garnered over 18,000 views. Water no longer flowed over Route M by Tuesday morning, but the warning signs are still there …as more rain continues to fall locally.