Photos by Kevin A. Roberts.
A rare winter flood that has already submerged homes and businesses in St. Louis, launched dozens of emergency evacuations, and left at least 20 people in Missouri and Illinois dead closed Interstate 55 near Arnold early Thursday, despite aggressive sandbagging efforts.
Get a fresh take on the day’s top news
Subscribe to the St. Louis Daily newsletter for a smart, succinct guide to local news from award-winning journalists Sarah Fenske and Ryan Krull.
The Missouri Department of Transportation says there’s no good estimate for when the highway, a vital north-south connector for the St. Louis metropolitan area, would reopen, but officials hope it will be clear by Friday. Flooding closed Interstate 44 and Interstate 70 in several locations earlier this week, and the closure of I-55 added to the traffic gridlock gripping the region.
See also: Rain in St. Louis Should Subside, But Near-Record Flooding Expected
The Mississippi River in St. Louis reached a crest of 42.27 feet on Thursday morning, the third highest level on record, according to the National Weather Service. That’s less than a foot below the 1973 flood crest of 43.23 feet and more than seven feet below the record 1993 crest of 49.58 feet. The Meramec River has already reached record levels and was expected to recede Thursday.
Extreme flooding during December is very rare for Missouri. Torrential rain during the week after Christmas combined with two previous winter rain storms that soaked the Mississippi Valley led to swollen rivers and rising water levels.
Firefighters in Eureka launched about 50 water rescues since Tuesday to save people from flooding in their homes, businesses and vehicles, according to the Associated Press. Flood waters sent one home floating down the Meramec River south of Eureka and east of 109 on Wednesday. Firefighters rescued a man and his dog from the roof of a house they were trapped on overnight, and a video of first responders towing a stranded gun store owner out of the water in his truck has gone viral.
There have been at least 20 deaths in Missouri and Illinois due to the flooding, mostly involving people who drove on to flooded roads, according to the AP.
Contact Lindsay Toler by an email at [email protected] or on Twitter @StLouisLindsay. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
