Page 10 - Interstate 44 News Today

>> so linda, whats preparations are you making, as well as other emergency crews? what preparations are under way. can you do much, though, when it comes to this level of flooding? >> thats the problem with flooding. and in this situation, its not going to be short term. we are done dealing with flash floods and now were dealing with rivers, including the missouri and the mgs ms river that are rising. and will keep interstate 44 closed for several more days. so of what were trying to do is get t...

Yesterday, i sense it this morning, are you getting the response you feel you need given the temperatures, given the level of the threat right now? >> weve had to throw a lot of resources at it. well continue to work to enhance those local levels. down in the mississippi, we were in perryville that has a 30 mile levee. we have a wide range were giting all the way from the boot hill through st. louis and west. weve already got highway 44 closed, which takes about 100,000 vehicles a day, and a maj...

Magnitude of the flooding, were at the intersection of interstate 44 and route 141. you can see how close it is getting. behind those street lights, you could see interstate 44, roughly 24 miles of that interstate are now closed. you can imagine the travel nightmare that is creating. both of these major highways closed. as far as the eye can see. to my left, the water has been inching closer and closer to the entrance of that gas station there h. we saw workers rapidly build that wall of sand ba...

Ten-mile stretch of i-44 every day. is there one area or one thing youre most concerned about this morning, governor? >> two things really. first of all, dont drive into moving water. the 12 deaths we have had are when folks drove into moving water and perished. we are going to make sure people are safe in that area, you have pacific, eureka, valley park. these are highly populated areas setting up shelters at places like francis howell senior high school, places like that. the bottom line is, i...

Thank you, governor. >> thank you. >> watching the levees throughout the region, theyre monitoring them with water levels rises in a number of rivers. cnn meteorologist jennifer grey is right there, live in valley park, missouri. she has a look at the timing and the forecast. jennifer? >> thats right, christine. we are expected to reach that record level any minute and in fact, we are going to go about three feet above that before this part of the merrimack river is expected to crest around midn...

Juan more no -- one more note here. the records are stay put from the st. louis northward and yes, flood iing out from st. louis t st. charles and st. peters where they closed down i-70, but west of pacific, they have shut down i-44 and extended it to 270 which is a mario thoreauway and disappoint. and the way it snakes north is where the up to of eureka is, and that is why they are completely cut off and not only one treatment plant, but two water waste treatment plants have been submerged. pas...

To my left you can see its just a few feet shy of hitting the underpass at entertainment 44. where -- interstate 44, where 24 miles remain closed. you can imagine the travel nightmare thats creating heading into the holiday weekend. here in valley park theres a mandatory evacuation for low-lying homes. the national guard is here, closely tracking 19 levees that are at risk in this region. local, state and federal agencies, including the red cross, assisting in the evacuations. now many are sayin...

Rising still. now up to 14 and state officials are struggling to find the words. in some of the worst flooding in history, parts of the st. louis region are under water. aside from jimmy johns restaurant still visible above the water, hundreds of roads and bridges are closed, including more than 20 miles of i-44. this vehicle was trapped by the water. a boat crew rescuing the stranded woman inside. rescue crews also coming to the aid of this man, stuck on top of a pickup truck, the floodwater pu...

Watching television, listening to the television, listening to the aert erleralerts. >> some having issues with communication in the area, in st. louis. we have people on the ground. we will speak to officials in just a few minutes to get the latest on that developing situation there. >> we do have jennifer grey right now. shes there for us. shes in valley park, missouri. shes got the latest on the timing and the forecast. what can you tell us? were talking about record-breaking water here, floo...

Up in some areas and, of course, were inundated with a lot of water. >> yes. russell, obviously -- >> that the true. >> its a little bit of delay, folks. we ask for your patients. weve seen a lot of roads and highways and freeways have been closed through that area. as you mentioned, some of the water has receded through some of those areas. talk about the closures and are folks heeding the call to stay off the roadways? >> yes. people are staying off the roadways. interstate 44 is now closed. t...