HARVIELL WOMAN FOUND DEAD
A Butler County woman was found dead Tuesday morning.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 69 year old Barbara Smithson, of Harviell, drove onto a water covered Highway 158 Sunday afternoon
Smithson was found in a ditch, one mile east of Harviell, Tuesday morning after water had receded.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
MAN APPREHENDED FOLLOWING BANK ROBBERY IN POPLAR BLUFF
A man has been taken into custody in connection to a Bank Robbery on Tuesday in Poplar Bluff.
Poplar Bluff Police Chief Danny Whiteley spoke to KWOC News and says that the suspect has been identified as Daniel Potter.
"At 2:28 on Tuesday, we had a 911 call of a robbery at the Federal Credit Union on 5th and Oak. Our officers were on scene at 2:30, began an area search while getting statements and evidence from the robbery. During the course of the investigation we were able to identify the suspect as Daniel Potter.
He had tried to check into the Black River Coliseum during the flood. Because of a criminal history past, he was turned away from there and had stayed the night before at the Rescue Mission. But then about 15 minutes later, the subject was spotted, took off running. Bad luck for him, because of the flood we had a lot of officers in the area and he was apprehended just a short time later and taken into custody.
He has been processed here at the PD. Mr. Potter will be charged with armed robbery and the FBI will be here shortly, and I’m sure they will be picking the case up from there federally."
BODY FOUND NEAR HIGHWAY 53 HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS POPLAR BLUFF MAN
Officials have identified a body that was found in a vehicle off of Highway 53 on Monday.
According to officials, 60 year old Kevin Compton, of Poplar Bluff, drove into the flooded roadway, around 2 miles south of Poplar Bluff, and was swept off into a ditch.
He was pronounced dead Monday night by Butler County Coroner Andy Moore.
NATIONAL GUARD SANDBAGGING ROUTE 60 AT FISK
The Missouri National Guard was in Butler County last night.
According to the Missouri Department of Transportation, the National Guard was sandbagging along Route 60 at Fisk from Route DD to Route 60/51 junction.
Officials say that the levee is a proactive measure to keep the route open despite a rising St. Francis River.
MoDot does not have plans to close Route 60 as of right now, however travelers should use caution in this area and expect a lane reduction on Eastbound Route 60.
In addition, the eastbound Route 60/51 ramp is currently closed.
SHELTERS STILL AVAILABLE IN BOTH SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AND NORTHEAST ARKANSAS
Shelters have been set up in both Southeast Missouri and Northeast Arkansas to aid residents affected by flooding.
A shelter has been set up at the Black River Coliseum in Poplar Bluff and is accepting residents from Butler, Carter, Ripley, and Wayne Counties. SEMO Red Cross says that shelters have also been set up at the West Plains First Baptist Church, the Van Buren Youth and Community Center, and Marquand Zion High School.
In Northeast Arkansas, the Red Cross has set shelters up at the Corning Community Center and the Walnut Ridge Community Center, and Pocahontas Community Center.
Authorities in Lawrence County, Arkansas are urging for residents in the Portia, Clover Bend, and Coffman areas to evacuate.
RIVER LEVELS UPDATE
River levels are projected to rise again following rains over the next couple of days.
According to the National Weather Service, Black River in Poplar Bluff was at 18.7 feet this morning and is forecast to drop to below 18 feet by tomorrow morning before rising again to 19 feet Friday morning. In Pocahontas, Arkansas, the river was at 28.52 feet this morning.
For Current River, in Van Buren, the river is down to 9.27 feet and is expected to get back up to 13.6 feet on Friday, which is below the flood stage of 20 feet. In Doniphan the river was at 13.66 feet this morning and is forecast to fall to under eight feet today, before rising to 14.5 feet late Friday Night or early Saturday morning.
For St. Francis River in Patterson, the river is expected to stay at the moderate flood stage over the next few days. It was down to 26.3 feet this morning and is forecast to rise to 29.5 feet late Friday night or Early Saturday morning. In Fisk, the river is already above the major flood stage of 26 feet and is expected to continue to rise to around 28 feet tonight.
In St. Francis, Arkansas the river is holding steady at around 24.61 feet, however it is forecast to rise to around 27.5 feet tomorrow morning.
WAPPAPELLO LAKE HAS CRESTED FOR NOW
Wappapello Lake has crested for now.
Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers tell KWOC News that the lake crested yesterday and has started to fall. The lake stage was at 397.52 this morning.
The current outflow is 20,000 cubic feet a second combined between the main spillway and the auxiliary spillway.
Officials say that the lake may rise again following today and tomorrow’s rainfall.
Corps of Engineer officials in Little Rock say that releases at Clearwater Lake were decreased to 3,800 cubic feet per second through the conduit and about 700 cubic feet per second across the overflow spillway.
When flows over the spillway increases, releases from the conduit will be reduced to continue a total release of no more than 5,000 cubic feet per second, if possible.
Officials say that people at Piedmont and Poplar Bluff will not see any resulting rise in the Black River from these releases.
However, more rain could cause spillway releases to increase. The lake was at 568.06 this morning and was expected to crest today, but that could change with the additional rainfall.
ROAD CLOSURES CONTINUE THROUGHOUT SOUTHEAST MISSOURI
Many roads are still flooded in Southeast Missouri.
Officials with the Missouri Department of Transportation say that motorists are urged to stop and turn around if they discover a roadway has high water.
A list of flooded roads is available on our website and the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Traveler’s Information map at modot.org. However, these lists might not be 100 percent accurate, so motorists are urged to use caution while on the roadways.
A map of flooded roads in Northeast Arkansas is available online at IDriveArkansas.com. Butler County: • Route 158-from Route 142 to US 67 • Route 142-Route B in Ripley County to Route HH near Vastus in Butler County and from Route HH north to Route 158 • Route N-CRD 243 to CRD 232 • Route 53-from Route UU to Route HH • Route HH-from Route H to CRD 329 Carter County: • Route Y Dunklin County: • Route UU-from Route NN to CRD 711/end of state maintenance • Route DD-west of Route53; from CRD 213 to CRD 203. Ripley County: • Route 142-at Doniphan, Mo. and Route B in Ripley County to Route HH near Vastus in Butler County • Route 21-in Doniphan, Mo. • Route A-near 21S-3 to CRD A-7 • Route Y-from Pumpkin Patch Road to CRD Y-3 Stoddard County: • Route T-from CRD 404 in Stoddard County to the Wayne/Butler County Line • Eastbound Route 60 Ramp at Route 51 (Fisk/Puxico) Wayne County: • Route 143-Route 34 in Wayne County to Route 49 in Iron County • Route FF-CRD 378 to CRD 380 • Route KK-south of CRD 456 • Route 34-at St. Francis River Bridge; from Route 143 to CRD 310 (west of US 67) • Business 67-from Route D to US 67; near Greenville, Mo. • Route 49-from Mill Spring, Mo. to CRD 440 • Route HH-from Route RA in Reynolds County to Tacketts Pocket near Piedmont in Wayne County • Route D-at East Fork Lost Creek • Route T-from CRD 404 in Stoddard County to the Wayne/Butler County line
