Evening star., 1952-04-12
z Cities BuIwarkinq
Their Defenses AgainsI
0nrushing Missouri
By the Associated Press

OMAf1A, NeOr., April 1A.-1OIl
of muddy water, like a slow-mov-
ing avalanche, rolled relentlessly
at food levels and higher along
nearly 1000 miles of the Missouri
River today.
The unprecedented flood crest,
which dealt a smashing blow to
the capital city of Pierre, still was
in South Dakota. It was two days
away from Sioux City. Iowa, its
next major target. and about five
days away from the Omaha
Council Bluffs, Iowa. metropolitan
area some 100 miles below Sioux
City.
But already hundreds were
homeless even in those down.
stream areas. Thousands of acres
of rich farm land were awash.
Damage estimates ran into the
millions.
For Omaha and Council Bluffs,
with 100000 metropolitan area
residents, there was just chance
that the worst flood disaster of
local record could be averted and
the cities were making the most
lof 1t. Evacuatons and dixie
Strengthening operations hit a
Ifeverish tempo in anticipation of
the 30-foot crest expected next
Thursday.
Guards Called Out.
Two National Guard companies
were called out at Omaha.
Army engineers ordered a mighty
effort to add at least 2 feet of
added protection atop the % miles
lof levee protecting Council Bluffs.
The levee height now ranges from
I29 to 81 feet.
In North Dakota. a 4-foot rise
in "a hours caused the Red River
Iof the North to burst banks along
IA 150-mile course from Wahpeton
to Grand Forks. Meteorologists
predicted a 34-foot crest, about
IT feet over flood stage, in the
Fargo area by next Wednesday
This would equal the second worst
flood height in the areas history
In Northern Montana, the food
ing Milk River was falling along
its entire course except at the
towns of Malta and Wagner but
the rise there was so slight dikes
were expected to hold. The river
earlier had made $500 homeless
and caused damage estimated at
So million.
Fight Against River.
Men and fiood-fighting mate
rials flowed into Omaha and
Council Bluffs from all directions.
Army engineers ordered in more
than 300 experienced flood fight
ers from engineer districts OF
Memphis, Vicksburg and Kansas
City. They were to join the 6O(
Omaha district personnel already
on duty.
The Red Cross moved a mobile
canteen from st. Louis to Council
Bluffs. Offutt Air Force Bast
outside Omaha. headquarters O.
the Strategic Air Command, con-
trtbuted cots and blankets.
The 5th Army, from its Chi
cago headquarters, sped similar
supplies by air from Columbus
Ohio; Fort Sheridan, ILL.,. and For
Riley, Kans., to the Omaha anc
Sioux City areas.
For the moment, sandbags anC
trucks were the major flood prepa-
ration weapons in Omaha anC
Council Bluffs-trucks to remove
the hundreds of families in peri
and sandbags to bolster the levees
and f1oodwalls and give protec-
ton to individual plants and in
stallations.
Half of City in Peril.
Should the protective works fail
and the anticipated flood crest
be reached, at least half of Coun-
Gil Bluffs with its 45,429 persons
would be inundated. Most of the
business section probably would
be spared.
On the Omaha side, a similar
failure would inundate an area
Including East Omaha, where l.
200 families were driven out ny
floods in 1943, Carter Lake, Iowa,
the municipal airport and the bulk
of the city's riverfront industrial
area.
The 1943 flood saw the river
reach 22.4 feet, a mark which was
equalled today. Since then, a flood
wall and levee system has been
built, designed to protect against
a 26.6-foot food crest. There is
'freeboard"-a safety margin
atop this level, running up to 81. 6
feet. But the freeboard never was
intended to hold back the force
Iof crest as high as the 3O-footer
anticipated.