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Worst Of Midwest Flooding Seems To Be Over

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The Associated Press

Published: July 1, 2008

ST. LOUIS - ST. LOUIS - The Mississippi River climbed toward its high-water mark Monday at St. Louis and was expected to crest over the next couple of days at points downriver, but the worst of the flood of 2008 appeared to be over.

The National Weather Service said the river was leveling off at St. Louis at slightly less than 9 feet above flood stage and was expected to stay there into today before slowly falling, barring more torrential rain to the north.

The high water was not causing any major problems because low-lying areas are protected by a floodwall and the downtown area rises sharply from the river. Along the river, the President Casino remained closed, as did a couple of riverboat excursions and a bike rental business near the Gateway Arch. The arch is unaffected by flooding.

"The message is we are open for business," said Donna Andrews, a spokeswoman for the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission.

The city's annual Independence Day festival will move away from the Arch grounds to another spot downtown. The Live on the Levee concert series normally held at the arch also has been relocated. With the Cubs in town for a weekend series with the Cardinals, Andrews expects big crowds for the holiday weekend, flooding or not.

At Ste. Genevieve, a French Colonial village of 4,400 people 64 miles south of St. Louis, this year's flood fight is nothing like the one in 1993, when hundreds of volunteers barely managed to hold back the swollen river.

This year's crest, while well above flood stage, will be about 12 feet short of the '93 record. A $41 million levee protects the village.

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