From staff and AP reports

Crest prediction moved to April 5 after Midwest drenching

The heavy rains that saturated Ohio and other Midwest states Wednesday have led the National Weather Service this morning to jack up by nearly 3 feet its forecast for a crest on the Mississippi River at Vicksburg.

The predicted crest here now is 46 feet on April 5, up from a Wednesday forecast of 43.5 feet on April 3. Flood stage in Vicksburg is 43 feet.

“Overall, most areas received more rain than had been forecast, which is why we’re seeing higher forecasts on our end,” said Marty Pope, senior hydrologist at the Jackson office of the National Weather Service. “As of right now, I don’t foresee those crest numbers being increased any further, but that will depend on rainfall in the coming weeks.”

The river stage in Vicksburg this morning was 38.4 feet, a rise of 0.2 feet from Wednesday. Flooding was reported Wednesday in parts of Ohio, Arkansas, southern Illinois, southern Indiana, Missouri and Kentucky.

A flood warning issued Wednesday by the weather service for the lower Mississippi is an increased alert from the earlier flood advisory, Pope said.

“It’s going to be early April before we start to see flooding here, but we wanted to put a warning out well in advance to let everyone know, especially the farmers and those in the shipping industry, that it’s on its way,” he said.

The warning indicates the weather service is forecasting moderate flooding in low-lying areas near the river, which includes farmland where winter wheat is nearly ready to harvest.

The City of Vicksburg is preparing, said Anna Booth, director of the city’s emergency management efforts.

She said employees are prepared to close gates at City Front and check pumps that move water back over the floodwall. Firefighters and police will assist with evacuation, she said. She said the city is encouraging voluntary evacuations for residents in the floodplain.

“Most people in those areas have been there a long time,” she said. “They see it coming and have time to make preparations.”

As part of alerting the public, Booth and other officials will release public service announcements as updates are made available. Booth and Victor Gray-Lewis, head of inspections, will meet Monday with the Board of Mayor and Aldermen.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District is also readying for rising waters, and is expecting to enter phase 1 of a 2-phased flood fight plan next week, said public affairs officer Frank Worley.

Phase 1 involves daily patrolling of city levees to ensure there is no seepage or other infrastructure problem.

“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” said Worley. “We see there are high waters coming — waters above our flood stage — but it doesn’t mean we’re gong to have widespread flooding.”

High water this morning closed the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 in Ohio — a major east-west highway — for about 4 miles, the State Highway Patrol said.

Cincinnati picked up 4.7 inches of rain and then traces of snow on Wednesday,

The area recovered quickly from two days of heavy rain, said Mike Mantel, director of the Service Dept. in Miami Township, east of Cincinnati. One township road closed Wednesday because of high water was reopened today, and streams were receding, he said.

“We’re in really good shape, considering the rainfall we had,” Mantel said.

Days of rain turned the Midwest into a soggy mess, flooding roads, stranding motorists and displacing residents — with a cleanup bill likely to run in the millions.

President Bush declared a major disaster in Missouri on Wednesday night and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in areas affected by flooding. Seventy counties and the city of St. Louis also are eligible for federal funding for emergency protective measures.

Much of Ohio was under a flood warning today, with some areas cautioned to watch for flash floods. Most of southwest Ohio had received more than 4 inches of rain, and officials in Butler County declared a state of emergency because of the rising waters.

Flooding along the Scioto River in Pickaway, Ross and Pike counties was expected to be the worst since January 2005. The river near Circleville was expected to remain over the 14-foot flood stage through Sunday, and Pickaway County authorities asked the Red Cross to prepare shelters for possible flood victims.

At least 13 deaths have been linked to the weather over the past few days, and three people were missing.

Five deaths were blamed on the flooding in Missouri, five people were killed in a highway wreck in heavy rain in Kentucky and a 65-year-old Ohio woman appeared to have drowned while checking on a sump pump in her home. In southern Illinois, two bodies were found hours after floodwaters swept a pickup truck off a rural road.

Searches were under way in Texas for a teenager washed down a drainage pipe, and two people were missing in Arkansas after their vehicles were swept away by rushing water.

The town of Fenton, Mo., put out a call asking volunteers to help put down sandbags against the floodwaters today. Gov. Matt Blunt said state workers were checking on nursing homes and hospitals, mobilizing rescues, opening shelters, closing highways and working to ensure safe drinking water.