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Volunteers in Winfield racing to pile sandbags as water rises

'This is the last line of defense between the Mississippi River and East Winfield right now.'

WINFIELD, Mo. — Volunteers are working to add sandbags to the tops of the levee in Winfield after they got an updated forecast that shows the water coming higher than they expected.

"'93 was the last time it was anywhere close to this," said Assistant Fire Chief Arron Lee.

He's running sandbags out to the levee, unloading and reloading to reinforce the barrier so the water doesn't top it. 

"This is the last line of defense between the Mississippi River and East Winfield right now," Lee said.

The water is already so high there they have to use boats to reach about 80 percent of the levee, including their sandbagging headquarters.  It’s usually a county road, but now it’s an island.

 Volunteers are working to get as much sand packed and taken away before it goes under water.

“It's definitely time consuming. If we were able to haul ‘em out on trucks, we could make more time, but right now it's slow going,” Lee said.

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