Some Scott Co. residents evacuate homes due to rising river levels

SCOTT COUNTY, MO (KFVS) - Residents in four homes on County Road 308 in Scott County have evacuated on Sunday, Dec. 27 because of rising river levels.

Many residents and other volunteers have used the day to salvage any items before water enters their homes.

"I'm taking my pump south, my shallow well pump," resident bob Keesee said. "Keep it from getting flooded. I can at least salvage it.  Make sure everything's out of the house. Which it's going to be a mess when it goes down."

This area was badly hit by floodwaters in July. Some homes in the area had more than eight feet of water in their basements, along with at least one foot of standing water in the upper level of two of the homes.

"I was born and raised down here and you didn't have this stuff when I was a kid," Keesee said. "Maybe get a small flood every ten years or so. It wouldn't run you out of your house. Now it seems like it's every year. Now here it is, twice this year."

Keesee, owner of two of the homes, said he had already fixed them up and rented them out to people since the flood hit in July and expects to have to remodel them again once the water recedes.

"Well I've got flood insurance, but I'm just tired of it," Keesee said. "I'm ready to get out of it and go back up on the hill."

Now Keesee expects there to be water up near the roofs of the homes in about a week when the river levels hit the projected 48.5 feet at the Cape Girardeau gauge. The 45.5 feet mark is also the record for Cape Girardeau set in 1993 when massive river flooding hit the Heartland.

Keesee said he is tired of it and hopes his homes and property are still able to be sold.

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