WEST ALTON, Mo. — After a new projected crest, the Mayor of West Alton, emergency management, and the Rivers Pointe Fire District issued a voluntary evacuation Saturday afternoon.
The latest crest levels are predicted to hit 36 feet. Fire Chief Rick Pender said those levees in West Alton can't take any more.
"The levees are tired just plain and simple," Pender said. "Just like we get tired, our levees get tired. They're saturated and they are weak."
Chief Pender says the levee can hold back 34 feet of water right now. But with two more feet on the way, it's going to be an uphill battle. That's why volunteers are building it up with more sandbags.
The sandbags are used to stabilize the plywood that is in the levees. Volunteers sacrificed their Saturday afternoon to make their levees stronger and to do damage control. Many were loading up the boats with sandbags.
Even with all this help, it still won't fully stop the flooding.
That's why officials are urging everyone in West Alton to evacuate. "We want our residents to know if you haven't put your plans in place, now is the time," Chief Pender says.
They are expecting the crest to hit on June 2, but they said it's better to take action sooner rather than later.