BODY FOUND IN SUBMERGED VEHICLE IN BUTLER COUNTY
Officials in Butler County tell KWOC News that a body of an elderly man was found in a submerged vehicle Monday.
The name of the man found has not been released, however officials say that the vehicle was found in a ditch in the area of Highway 53.
We will bring you more information on this story as it becomes available.
SHELTERS STILL AVAILABLE IN BOTH SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AND NORTHEAST ARKANSAS
Shelters have been set up in both Southeast Missouri and Northeast Arkansas to aid residents affected by flooding.
A shelter has been set up at the Black River Coliseum in Poplar Bluff and is accepting residents from Butler, Carter, Ripley, and Wayne Counties. SEMO Red Cross says that shelters have also been set up at the Caruthersville Armory in Caruthersville and Christ the Savior Church in Perryville.
Shelters are also available at the West Plains First Baptist Church, Ellington R-II High School, His Place Fellowship in Doniphan, the Van Buren Youth and Community Center, and the Winona Police Department.
In Northeast Arkansas, the Red Cross has set shelters up at the Corning Community Center as well as the Randolph County Nursing Home and Pocahontas Community Center in Pocahontas. Officials say that a shelter will be opening at 9 am this morning at the Walnut Ridge School.
In addition, many are still without power this morning. According to Entergy Arkansas, 351 customers in Clay County are currently without power.
The Clay County Electric Cooperative announced last night that power was shut off for all members in the Corning area and those served by the Corning Substation due to repairs. Officials have not said if power has been restored.
FLOODING CAUSES MULTIPLE COMMUNITY EVACUATIONS
Multiple communities were evacuated Monday following increased flood waters from this past weekend’s storms.
The south side of Poplar Bluff was placed under a voluntary evacuation after a levee broke on Black River.
A voluntary evacuation is also underway in areas of Wayne County, and the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department says that their office cannot accept any calls from cell phones at this time, however they can receive calls from land lines.
Downtown Doniphan was also flooded Monday, affecting numerous businesses. Missouri Governor Eric Greitens was in Van Buren yesterday to meet with local authorities. Greitens tweeted that he spoke with President Trump about the flooding, who said he's behind us, and here to help the people of Missouri.
In Reynolds County, residents in the Logan Creek area had been asked to voluntarily evacuate. A boil water order is also in effect in Ellington and the Ellington Fire Department says they will be giving out supplies from 7 am to 7 pm today.
In Northeast Arkansas, a mandatory evacuation was put in place for the Success area as well as the east side of Pocahontas.
Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson has announced he will be surveying storm damage in Randolph and Sharp Counties today.
WATER REACHES OVER AUXILIARY SPILLWAY AT WAPPAPELLO LAKE
Water has overtaken the auxiliary spillway at Wappapello Lake.
According to Jennifer Morse with the US Army Corps of Engineers, water started coming over the Auxiliary spillway at Wappapello Lake Monday morning. The lake is now predicted to crest at 399.7 feet on Wednesday.
The Corps of Engineers is also reporting that T Highway at Wappapello began to fail at around 7:30 pm last night due to the flooding. A part of T Highway had washed away by this morning.
At Clearwater, officials say that the auxiliary spillway was activated Monday afternoon. This morning the lake was at elevation 567.5 feet. The Corps of Engineers said yesterday that 97 percent of the Lake’s flood storage capacity was being used.
The lake is expected to crest at about 571 feet on Wednesday if there is no additional rain.
POPLAR BLUFF SHOOTING SUSPECT TURNS HIMSELF IN
A suspect in a Poplar Bluff shooting has turned himself in.
Josh Stewart with the Poplar Bluff Police Department tells KWOC News that 34 year old Michael Jackson turned himself in to Poplar Bluff Police Monday evening.
Jackson allegedly shot into a vehicle four times with a handgun on Friday. The victim’s vehicle had four people inside it at the time of the shooting, including two children.
The shooting occurred on Highway 60, just east of Highway 67
RIVER LEVELS UPDATE
River levels have crested at some places but are still rising at some others in Southeast Missouri and Northeast Arkansas.
According to the National Weather Service, Black River in Poplar Bluff crested at 21.96 feet yesterday and is currently at around 20.2 feet. In Pocahontas, Arkansas, the river is at around 27 feet and forecast to rise to 29.5 feet Friday.
For Current River, in Van Buren, the river reached 37.2 feet on Sunday, and has since dropped to around 16 feet. In Doniphan as the river crested at 33.13 feet Monday and is now down to just over 26 feet.
For St. Francis River in Patterson, the river topped out at 37.05 feet on Sunday, and is now down to around 28.5 feet. In Fisk, the river is at around 21 feet and rising and is forecast to reach the record of 28 feet late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.
In St. Francis, Arkansas the river is forecast to rise to 27.5 feet Thursday morning and is currently at around 24.7 feet.
The National Weather Service in Paducah is saying that another one to three inches of rainfall is predicted for Wednesday and Thursday which will cause revised forecasts for river levels.
DEXTER TEEN ARRESTED ON TERRORIST THREAT WARRANT
A Dexter teenager has been taken into custody in Stoddard County.
According to the Stoddard County Sheriff’s Department, 18 year old Jonah Reiker was recently arrested on a warrant for 1st degree terrorist threat.
Officials say that no bond has been set and Reiker remained in jail as of this morning. Additional information about the warrant has not been released
ROAD CLOSURES CONTINUE THROUGHOUT SOUTHEAST MISSOURI
Many roads are still flooded in Southeast Missouri.
Officials with the Missouri Department of Transportation say that motorists are urged to stop and turn around if they discover a roadway has high water.
A list of flooded roads is available on our website and the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Traveler’s Information map at modot.org. However, these lists might not be 100 percent accurate, so motorists are urged to use caution while on the roadways.
A map of flooded roads in Northeast Arkansas is available online at IDriveArkansas.com. Butler County: • Route 158-from Route 142 to US 67 • Route 142-Route B in Ripley County to Route HH near Vastus in Butler County and from Route HH north to Route 158 • Route N-CRD 243 to CRD 232 • Route PP-at Cane Creek; CRD 449 to CRD 423/Route TT • Route W-CRD 542 to Route O; near Hilliard • Route O-north of CRD 502 • Route 53-from Route UU to Route HH • Route WW-at Black River in Poplar Bluff, Mo. • Route HH-from Route H to CRD 329 Carter County: • Business 60-at Van Buren; near James Street • Route 103-from Skyline Drive to Route Z • Route Z-from Route 103 to end of state maintenance • Route M-at Mill Creek and near Van Buren, Mo. at CRD 100 • Route Y Dunklin County: • Route UU-from Route NN to CRD 711/end of state maintenance Ripley County: • Route 142-near Oxly; west of Route T and at Doniphan, Mo. and Route B in Ripley County to Route HH near Vastus in Butler County • Route 21-in Doniphan, Mo. • Route A-near 21S-3 to CRD A-7 • Route Y-from Pumpkin Patch Road to CRD Y-3 • Route 160-at Current River near Doniphan, Mo. Stoddard County: • Route M-at Leora; near Route K Wayne County: • Route C-CRD 224A to Route 34 • Route 143-Route 34 in Wayne County to Route 49 in Iron County • Route FF-CRD 378 to CRD 380 • Route KK-south of CRD 456 • Route 34-at St. Francis River Bridge; from Route 143 to CRD 310 (west of US 67) • Business 67-from Route D to US 67; near Greenville, Mo. • Route 49-from Mill Spring, Mo. to CRD 440 • Route HH-from Route RA in Reynolds County to Tacketts Pocket near Piedmont in Wayne County • Route D-at East Fork Lost Creek • Route T-from Route D to the Wayne/Butler County line
MISSOURI TREASURER ACTIVATES DISASTER ASSISTANCE RELIEF PROGRAM
Missouri State Treasurer Eric Schmitt has activated a disaster relief program for Missouri small businesses and farms impacted by the recent flooding.
The Harmed-area Emergency Loan Priority system authorizes 24-hour approval of support for low-interest loans obtained through participating lenders.
Schmitt says that Missouri-based small businesses with up to 99 employees are eligible to receive a loan through participating institutions with the support of the Missouri Linked Deposit Program.
An extensive list of participating lenders and program eligibility guidelines can be found online at treasurer.mo.gov/LinkedDeposit.
The Missouri Small Business & Technology Development Centers have also released disaster assistance guidelines and additional information regarding US Small Business Administration loans which are available at missouribusiness.net.
