JEFFERSON CITY — My thoughts and prayers are with the thousands being impacted by recent flooding. This is the worst flooding our area has seen since the great flood of 1993 and it may be the worst flood we have ever seen. As a legislator there is not much I can do about flooding, but I will do everything in my power to help my constituents rebuild and access the resources they need to survive and repair the damage. Today’s column is about what you can do to stay safe and who you can contact for emergency help.

Currently more than a dozen people have died in the flooding and many of them died as a result of driving into flooded areas. Please do not drive over flood waters, these waters rise fast and are very dangerous. In the governor’s release on the state of emergency, he offered good advice on how dangerous flood waters can be:

• Do not walk through moving water. Six inches of moving water can make you fall. If you have to walk in water, walk where the water is not moving.
• Do not drive into flooded areas. If floodwaters rise around your car, abandon the car and move to higher ground if you can do so safely. You and the vehicle can be quickly swept away. Six inches of water will reach the bottom of most passenger cars, causing loss of control and possible stalling.
• A foot of water will float many vehicles. Two feet of rushing water can carry away most vehicles, including sport utility vehicles and trucks. Even if the water appears shallow enough to cross, don’t try it. Flood waters can hide changes in the road. Worse yet, there may be no road at all under the water. Flooding can scour away the entire road surface and a significant amount of ground beneath.

Please check the Missouri Department of Transportation’s website for current road closings and other information.

The Missouri Department of Public Safety – State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) also provides a list of emergency coordinators on their website broken down by county. Below are the countywide emergency coordinators for Franklin and St. Louis Counties, but you can look up municipal emergency coordinators at http://sema.dps.mo.gov/.

St. Louis County                                                    Franklin County

Jim Knoll                                                                     Abraham Cook

41 S. Central Avenue                                                 401 E Springfield

St. Louis, MO 63105                                                  Union, MO 63084

(314) 615-8554                                                            (636) 583-1679

Volunteers play a vital role during emergencies. If you are interested in volunteering, please visit the United Way’s Emergency Volunteer Center at www.stlvolunteer.org/evc.

As we finally start to see some local rivers crest and recede, please be very cautious while returning to homes and property. Check appliances like water heaters for damage and don’t cross flood waters prematurely to get back into property.

As we did in 1993, we will rebuild. Please contact my office at (573) 751-3678 is you have any questions.