PORTAGE DES SIOUX, Mo. - As St. Charles County prepared for rainfall to bring more water to a number of already-flooded areas, Maya Henderson decided higher river levels created the perfect opportunity to catch some fish.
“My parents always fish when it gets this high,” Henderson said. “You never know with the river.”
Henderson went to Portage Des Sioux to be with her boyfriend, after her family’s home was flooded in another part of the county.
“You can’t get to my house, and you can’t leave my house,” Henderson said. “Everyone there has to use boats. It’s not as bad here as where I live, but it’s getting there.”
Roads throughout Portage Des Sioux are underwater, but even with the river scheduled to crest Monday evening, rain in the coming days just furthers the threat.
“There’s always a sense of urgency with times like this,” Rivers Point Fire Chief Rick Pender said.
Pender oversees volunteer fire stations around the northern part of St. Charles County. Agencies and volunteers from across the area gathered Monday to bag sand and cut plywood to deliver to areas hit the hardest.
One of the levees in the County breached early Monday, and Pender said the others are saturated
“When you have rain, or driving rain, on top of that it can be devastating,” Pender said.
Crews worked into the night Monday to prepare as much as people.
“We’re grateful for all the help in the community, all the people who came and also the prayers,” Pender said.
The community expects days of rain to raise water levels before they see any relief from the flooding.