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'We're seeing backflow from the Mississippi', Parts of Jefferson Co. flooded

Water from the Joachim Creek has covered parts of Jefferson County, like Herculaneum.

Parts of Jefferson County are under water.

Water from the Joachim Creek has creeped over onto areas just like Herculaneum. 

Jefferson County's Director of Emergency Services, Warren Robinson says: "The flooding we're primarily seeing in Jefferson County is the backflow from the Mississippi River."

The Sheriff's Department tweeted that 12 roads are closed, as of Saturday afternoon:

Two bridges were also closed. "Two larger bridges are closed. The one over Joachim Creek and on Highway 61, 67 over Joachim that one is closed right now."

But that's not stopping visitors. The bridge next to the city park gained a lot of attraction. One visitor said, "We just kind of wanted to see how bad it was. It's been more closed off than it has previous years."

Even though the bridge is blocked off, cars are going around the sign, just to get an up-close look. But rain may cause these waters to rise again and that's why Robinson wants everyone to be safe.

But besides site seekers, there's also a bunch of people enjoying a nice day in the park. Many weren't expecting to see a new pool added in. Most of the water is covering up three ball fields and a dog park. 

One park-goer tells 5 On Your Side, "It's unfortunate, it's a sad view but there's nothing we can do about it. It's Mother Nature taking its course. I mean, it's prime time. The weather is awesome. The kids want to use the fields but right now they would need to go on a boat and fish for the balls."

But Warren says this may not be the end and people need to be prepared. "We are probably going to see an extended period this summer where we are experiencing flooding," Warren said.

Emergency Services said they expect this flooding to go down by Friday and they'll reopen the bridges as soon as possible. 

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