
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, July 19, 1993                   TAG: 9307190126
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Los Angeles Times
DATELINE: ST. LOUIS                                LENGTH: Medium

RIVER ROLLS ON TO ST. LOUIS NEW STORMS DUMP MORE RAIN UPSTREAM

The Mississippi River rolled toward the top of the St. Louis flood wall Sunday and hurled thousands of gallons of water into a tributary that snakes along the southern city limits, knocking sandbags off a levee and sending people fleeing for safety.

As residents and sightseers gathered at the Gateway Arch to watch, officials said that they expected the Mississippi to crest 5 feet short of splashing over the flood wall. But it was no comfort to residents in south St. Louis, where the River Des Peres pushed 50 feet of sandbags off the top of a levee and poured into a nearby neighborhood.

Police and National Guardsmen with bullhorns urged 1,200 people to flee. Hundreds did. The water rose to 6 feet in parts of a five-block section of homes and businesses. It was expected to climb to 10 feet by midnight. Authorities said hundreds of homes could be flooded.

In the flooded area stood a Monsanto chemical plant, surrounded by sandbags. Police tried to calm fears about toxic spills. "We believe the plant is very well protected," said Officer Charles Shine. "Monsanto spent a lot of money to make sure that it is. You can't be sure of anything in a flood situation, but we feel the sandbags will hold there."

Throughout the Midwest, people prayed for the rain to stop. The death toll stood at 29. Damage estimates ranged to $10 billion. Transportation Secretary Federico Pena told CNN that 11 airports have been flooded, six of 16 bridges across the Mississippi in the affected area have been knocked out and countless miles of railroad disrupted. "Everything," he said, "is affected."

But still the rain did not stop. Thundershowers hit parts of Iowa, including flood-stricken Des Moines, and portions of Missouri, Illinois, Nebraska, Kansas and Wisconsin. Forecasters said the storms could last for several more weeks.

In south St. Louis, Linda Truccano, 29, a bankruptcy court clerk, fled carrying plastic bags filled with framed photographs. She said: "I'm just taking what can't be replaced."

Water was doorknob-high at nearby houses. A less optimistic family moved everything possible. "There's nothing left for the river to take," said Gerald Ganim, 19, as he put a microwave oven into the family car.

Others feared that still more parts of the levee would burst. "The one that broke went like that," said Sgt. Dino Orlando of the Illinois National Guard, snapping his fingers. "And when one [part] goes, it's a matter of time before another one goes."

In Des Moines, residents will have to wait at least another two days for running water. Officials blamed trouble with a pump motor at the city water plant.

A quarter of a million residents have been without tap water since a week ago Sunday, when the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers overflowed and swamped the plant. Now, officials said, it will be Wednesday before the first household taps are turned on.

Once water is restored, it will not be fit to drink. Residents will have to boil their water for at least another three weeks.

In the Chicago area, 800 people were ordered out of their homes late Sunday when heavy rains threatened an earthen dam and caused flash floods.

by CNB