The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1952-04-14

Missouri River threw everything |
it had - it's record breaking |
flood crest - at the Sioux City, |
Ia, area today and gave new In
tensity to the dramatic fight
against water being waged in the
downstream Omaha Council
Bluffs, Ia, area.
For Sioux City. with $4,000 per-
sons, and neighboring South Sioux
City, Neb., with $500, the crests
arrival was only insult atop injury.
Surrender had come days earlier
and inundation had been a creep
ing, progressive thing.
Downstream, town after town
was either PROSTATE or abandoned.
But Omaha and Council Bluffs,
whose combined metropolitan area
takes in $3.50. 900 persons, were fight
ing it out - prepared for the worst
but determined to forestaIl it.
This was the picture in the twin
cities:
About two thirds of Council
Bluffs 5000 persons had fled or
were pulling out of their homes.
| Across the river. in the East oma-
ha and Carter Lake, Ia, areas,
homes Of perhaps 5000 more were
similarly deserted.
These were ghost areas, patrolled
only by soldiers, police and civil
guards. Not even the persons who
live there were permitted to enter
much of the area.
Experienced relief workers
called the exodus one Of the biggest
disaster movements in memory.
/ The river, meanwhile, was at
record high levels and steadily
climbing toward the 80 foot crest
expected Wednesday.
| The old high mark of GAG feet
established in 1881 was passed Sum
day.
Early today the reading was 25.4,
compared with flood stage of 10
At 26.6, the river win be at the
level which levees and flood wall.
along the two cities we're designed
: margin adds three to five feet d
, the levee height, however, and to
days battle consisted Of q con
tinued all out effort to add tw,
+ feet to the levee height, whil'
! maintaining constant vigil TO
) breaks and giving immediate al
tention to the sandboils which tn
E tremendous pressure was creating
= especially on the Iowa side.
ri The levee task force on the low
/. side numbered 1000 men. Almos
D as many worked across the river
The flood ravaged Missouri Ris
err area extended all the way fror
Lower South Dakota. along tn
Iowa : Nebraska reaches and int
Kansas and Missouri.
But other states, and other ris
ers, also figured today in a grin
: midwest flood picture.
! The Mississippi was at . recor
5 high and climbing at st. Pau
J, MINI. Livestock shipments to Ii
! South St. Paul stockyards wer
!. enlarged, thousands were hom
!, less and the st. Paul MunicipI
Airport was under water. The Mi
!. nesota River. tributary. c0ntil
! ued TO rise menacingly In Mimi
I sofa.
J Prairie Du Chen, Wis. expects
the worst Mississippi River foo
= in history by Tuesday night. /
!. Crosse, upstream. anticipated u
i highest crest since 1880.
! A state Of emergency existed
Winona, MINI. A dixie failure woul
put about one third Of Winona u
der water.
The Weather Bureau warned q
les along The downstream Iow
r Illinois reaches TO expect aiI<tiH
lc high crests the last week in Apr
r The Red Gross Sunday night G
10 timafed the eight or nine state tot
families either displaced or abo
d to be displaced BY foods at 10 IS
). q figure which a Red Cross Of
r ciaI In Omaha translated to repr
~ sent about 1900 persons.
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