CNSTC: June 12, 2019

Page 1

June 12, 2019

After the flood

Around Town

Wentzville students bring creativity to Drinking Water Week. Pg 3 O’Fallon Police Department names new chief of police Pg. 5

School Five FHSD students named to Missouri Scholars 100. Pg. 6

Flip for Features

This aerial photo shows the extent of the flooding along the St. Charles river front.

Photo courtesy St. Charles County

The challenging process of cleaning up and assessing damage begins after near-record-high flooding swamps the region By Brett Auten Now that the Mississippi River has ceased its hemorrhaging, the journey back to a smidgen of normalcy begins. Over the weekend, the Mississippi River crested in St. Charles at over 35-feet, almost 11-feet above flood stage. Last week, St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann declared that a state of emergency exists in the county as a result of on-going, severe weather and serious flooding which began on April 29. The rain has caused severe flooding in the areas of Portage des Sioux, West Alton, and Orchard Farm. Now that the river has started to recede this week, clean-up and damage assessments are

underway. That is when things will really hit home for residents. “The real impact will come when they see what the water has done to their home or property,” Captain Chris Hunt, the Director of St. Charles County Regional Emergency Management, said. “Most of these residents have lived here a long time and they know what they’re up against.” The state has reached its monetary threshold and will now look to federal disaster assistance. Once local officials collect the initial damage estimates, the state will request a Joint Preliminary Damage Assessments from FEMA Regional Office. The governor will submit a disaster declaration request to the president through the FEMA Regional Office.

FEMA will review the requests and will send the recommendation to the president, who will make the final decision. “It is a multi-week process. It’s almost like, did they forget about us?’” Hunt said. “We are urging residents to start filing (insurance) claims and if they can get back to their homes, start the clean-up process. There is a lot of debris that gets brought in due to these floods. We will assist by bringing in dumpsters and having facilities available to take the debris.” Jared Agee is the Division Director of Building and Code Enforcement at St. Charles County. He and his team will be going to different properties to see if it is safe to occupy and to survey just how bad the damage is. See ‘FLOOD’ page 2

Serving St. Louis, St. Charles and Lincoln Counties | FREE Online at mycnews.com | Vol.21 No.23 | 636-379-1775

Recipe, Movie & Sudoku. Pg. F-1 CLASSIFIEDS AND HOME & GARDEN. Pg. F-2 /F-3 Moore On Life, Yeggs & Crossword. Pg. F-4

Weather FRIDAY Mostly Cloudy/ Showers 80/63 SATURDAY Showers/Storms 82/65 SUNDAY Showers/Storms 81/64 FirstWarn Weather

prepared by meteorologist Nick Palisch. For the latest updates visit www.facebook.com/nickswx.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
CNSTC: June 12, 2019 by Community News - Issuu