Flash Flood in Wayne County, Missouri

The record high level of Lake Wappapello exceeded the height of the emergency spillway at Wappapello Dam. The uncontrolled flow of water over the spillway berm washed out a 400-foot section of Highway T, taking out millions of dollars of communications infrastructure. County Road 404 was washed out. At least two homes along County Road 404 were inundated with at least a foot of water and were accessible only by boat. Five homes were directly affected by the spillway breach.

Heavy rainfall in March set the stage for major flooding when record-setting rains fell in April and May. At Cape Girardeau, 31.85 inches of rain fell between March and May. This set the record for the wettest meteorological spring (March through May) and was 68 percent of the normal rainfall for the entire year. The result of all this rain was rapid and dramatic rises on rivers. Record flood crests occurred on some rivers, inundating numerous homes and businesses. There were major impacts to transportation both on land and water. There were numerous closed roads across the region, leading to often lengthy detours. Because of the high water, there were numerous day and nighttime restrictions to barge traffic. Hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland were flooded. Crops were late getting planted.