The Arnold City Council has scheduled a special “emergency” meeting for 6 p.m. Wednesday (Dec. 30) at Arnold City Hall, 2101 Jeffco Blvd., to talk about flooding in the city.
After three days of heavy rain that ended Monday evening (Dec. 28), area rivers are expected to reach levels not seen since the great flood of 1993, said Warren Robinson, the Jefferson County Emergency Management director.
He said today (Dec. 29) that the latest forecasts indicate the Meramec River at Arnold will surpass the historic water level of 45.3 feet it reached in 1993.
As of 11 a.m. today, the Meramec River, which has a 24-foot flood stage level, was at 39.3 feet and was expected to crest at 46.1 feet, Arnold city officials reported in a written statement.
The river was expected to descend below 40 feet by Jan. 2, the city reported.
Robinson said the Mississippi, which has a 30-foot flood stage level at Arnold and was at 35.63 feet on Monday, is forecast to crest at 44.9 feet also on Thursday.
He said the Big River’s flood stage is 16 feet and as of today, it was at 26.19 feet. The crest, which was expected on Wednesday, was predicted at 27.7 feet.
Parts of Jefferson County got more than 5 inches of rain over the three days, and Jefferson County Executive Ken Waller declared a state of emergency for the county.
Robinson said as of this morning, he had heard about voluntary evacuations at 27 residences, all in the northern portion of the county.
In Kimmswick, volunteers began sandbagging there over the weekend to try to hold back the Mississippi River floodwaters, and the effort was still underway today.
Robinson said the county Emergency Management Office can supply sandbags to residents who need them.
The city of Arnold also will provide bags and sand to residents who need them.
Arnold city officials called the emergency council meeting after Mayor Ron Counts decided to sign an executive order “establishing the city of Arnold is in a state of emergency,” the city reported in a memo following an emergency planning meeting held Monday morning.
Arnold is recommending that people evacuate if their homes become endangered by floodwaters.
The city has set up an Emergency Operations Center to handle calls about the flooding. Those who have a flooding emergency in Arnold may contact the center from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 636-282-6609. If no one’s at the center, people should call Arnold Police at 636-296-2222.
The city of Arnold also has set up two command centers, one at 501 Jeffco Blvd. and another in Bayshore subdivision, which is off Telegraph Road.
As of Monday, the city had provided bags and sand to some residents who live in the Bayshore subdivision and along Convair Drive, Sundew Drive and Spruce Court, said Ed Blattner, the city’s Public Works director.
Susie Boone, director of the Arnold Parks and Recreation Department, said Monday that floodwaters from the Meramec River had already reached the front of Arnold City Park, which is now closed.
In addition, the city-owned Pomme Creek Golf Course was closed after it was flooded from backwaters of the Mississippi River.
As a result, a golf tournament scheduled there for New Year’s Day has been canceled, Boone said.
The Christmas tree drop-off site at Arnold City Park is not available and another one will be set up at Ferd B. Lang City Park on Old Lemay Ferry Road.
The Red Cross has opened an emergency shelter at the First Baptist Church of Arnold, 2012 Missouri State Road, and as of 3 p.m. today, the Humane Society of Missouri has offered a mobile kennel at the church to help displaced animals.
The University of Missouri Extension offers a variety of flood-related resources at http://extension.missouri.edu/n/2704.