Flooding in Kentucky, May 1 to 31, 2011

Major flooding continued on the Ohio River from April. At the Grand Chain, Illinois river gage, the flood crest of 62.20 feet on the evening of May 2 came within two feet of the record of 64.00 feet set in 1937. The activation of the New Madrid Floodway by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spared Ballard County from an even higher crest. With the detonation of the Mississippi River levee at Birds Point, Missouri, the Ohio River dropped suddenly at Grand Chain. Grand Chain is located across from Ballard County. Some homes were evacuated, primarily in areas around Oscar. The total number of flooded homes was likely between 20 and 30.

Major flooding continued on the Ohio River from April. At the Paducah river gage, the flood crest of 55.03 feet around noon on May 5 was over three feet higher than the 1997 flood. This was still several feet lower than the record crest set in 1937. The activation of the New Madrid Floodway by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spared McCracken County from an even higher crest that would have inundated even larger areas of the county. With the detonation of the Mississippi River levee at Birds Point, Missouri, the Ohio River stopped rising or rose much more slowly at the Paducah gage. The flood gates were installed in the floodwall protecting the city of Paducah. Low-lying areas outside of the levee and floodwall protection system were flooded, displacing hundreds of residents. Preliminary estimates were that between 200 and 500 homes were flooded, some beyond repair. Many of the homes were located in the Clarks River floodplain, where water was nearly up to the second floor of one home. Ohio River backwater worsened flooding along the Clarks River, which empties into the Ohio between Reidland and Paducah. A mobile home was nearly completely submerged. Over a dozen water rescues were conducted. Water marks along tree lines were at least ten feet high in many locations near the Clarks River. Besides flooding numerous homes, the river submerged a small airport and a car-racing track. Many state roads were closed, making travel around the county difficult. The bridge carrying U.S. Route 45 over the Ohio River was closed due to water over the approaches. At the peak of the flooding, at least 60 roads were closed in McCracken County. Floodwaters crept toward U.S. Highway 60 in the city of Paducah outside the levee, but very few structures were affected on Route 60. The main exception was a major grocery store next to the levee, which was forced to close. A convention center located on the river side of the floodwall was saved by the construction of a makeshift levee.

Record flooding occurred on the Ohio River. At the Smithland river gage, the flood crest of 54.89 feet on the morning of May 6 was about 3.5 feet higher than the 1997 flood. The activation of the New Madrid Floodway by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spared the city of Smithland from an even higher crest that would likely have overtopped the makeshift levee protecting the city. The levee was on the verge of failure before the levee was blown up on the Mississippi River. With the detonation of the Mississippi River levee at Birds Point, Missouri, the Ohio River stopped rising or rose much more slowly at the Smithland gage. Due to flooding of the Ohio River, there was extensive sandbagging, and a temporary levee was constructed around Smithland. Homeowners were evacuated from Smithland and many other low-lying areas from Birdsville to Ledbetter. Lower sections of Ledbetter were evacuated. Preliminary estimates were that around 100 homes were flooded, up to the roofline in a couple of cases. Temporary shelters were set up for evacuees. Floodwaters entered a gas station on U.S. Highway 60 in Smithland. Several state roads were closed, along with numerous county roads. U.S. Highway 60 was closed to through traffic at Smithland, and sections of U.S. Highway 60 were raised above floodwaters in the Ledbetter area. Police established checkpoints on U.S. 60 to keep out sightseers.

Major flooding continued on the Ohio River from April. Based on data from river gages in nearby Pope and Gallatin Counties in Illinois, the flood crest of 2011 was two to three feet higher than the 1997 flood. This was still 6 to 9 feet lower than the record crest set in 1937. The activation of the New Madrid Floodway by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spared Crittenden County from an even higher crest that would have inundated even larger areas of the county. With the detonation of the Mississippi River levee at Birds Point, Missouri, the Ohio River stopped rising or rose much more slowly. The community of Tolu was evacuated, and water was halfway up the windows of a house in Tolu. U.S. Highway 60 was closed just west of the Tradewater River bridge. Backwater from the Ohio River contributed to major flooding on the Tradewater River. About two dozen houses were flooded or threatened countywide.

Major flooding continued on the Ohio River from April. At the Uniontown river gage, the flood crest of 56.94 feet on the morning of May 6 was about three feet higher than the 1997 flood. This was still over seven feet lower than the record crest set in 1937. The Ohio River floodgates were installed on Kentucky Highway 923 at Sturgis. This was the first time since the March 1997 flood that such actions were required. Sandbagging was done to protect some houses. Several county roads were closed, as was the main traffic artery through the county, U.S. Highway 60. There were at least 14 state highways and 18 county roads posted as closed in Union County.

Flooding continued on the Ohio River from April. At the Evansville, Indiana river gage, the river crested at 46.78 feet on May 5. This was the 8th highest crest on record, and less than a foot below the 1997 flood. Due to Ohio River flooding, a horse-racing track was surrounded by floodwater. A preliminary estimate of the number of flooded homes ranges from 100 to 200. Near the confluence of the Green and Ohio Rivers, a number of homes were enveloped by water near Spottsville. At least 80 county roads and a much smaller number of state roads were closed by flooding. U.S. Highway 60 was closed from Spottsville to the Daviess County line. A Red Cross shelter was opened for a very small number of evacuees, mostly from the Reed and Beals communities. The National Guard was activated. There was considerable flooding of low-lying agricultural land, forcing farmers to delay planting.

Moderate flooding occurred on the Ohio River. At the Owensboro river gage, the river continued to fall after cresting at 46.30 feet in late April. A riverside park and parts of Water Street in Owensboro were flooded. At the peak of the flooding, Panther Creek flooded extensively due to backwater from the Ohio River, which forced some evacuations of residents in the Pettit area. Panther Creek covered parts of U.S. Highway 431 and surrounded a few major businesses such a home improvement store. Ohio River backwater worsened flooding of the Green River, flooding a house in Curdsville with a foot of water. The Red Cross opened a shelter. Countywide, 63 county roads and 18 state roads were closed at the peak of the flooding. About a dozen county roads were damaged. The damage consisted mostly of washed out shoulders and bridge approaches.

Moderate flooding continued on the Green River from April. At the Paradise river gage, the flood crest of 395.85 feet on the morning of May 5 was the fifth highest on record. This flood crest was over two feet lower than the May, 2010 crest. Green River floodwaters closed a few roads.

Major flooding continued on the Green River from April. At the Calhoun river gage, the flood crest of 34.01 feet on the morning of May 7 was just a few inches lower than the 1997 flood. This 2011 flood crest was the sixth highest on record. Green River floodwaters inundated the entire community of Rumsey and about 20 percent of Calhoun. A very small part of Livermore was flooded.

Record flooding occurred along the Mississippi River near and below the confluence of the Ohio River. The river gages at both Cairo, Illinois and New Madrid, Missouri measured record high levels exceeding the 1937 record flood. The activation of the New Madrid Floodway by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the evening of May 2 spared Ballard County from an even higher crest. With the detonation of the Mississippi River levee at Birds Point, Missouri, the Mississippi River dropped suddenly. Historic flooding of the Mississippi River inundated low-lying sections of Wickliffe. A few evacuations were required, and homes were sandbagged. All main arteries into and out of Wickliffe were closed except U.S. Highway 60. A section of U.S. Highway 51 was closed south of Wickliffe near a large paper mill. The paper mill was shut down for weeks. The bridge over the Ohio River on U.S. Highway 51/60/62 was closed when sections of the road leading to the bridge were covered by several feet of water.

Record flooding occurred along the Mississippi River. The river gages at both Cairo, Illinois and New Madrid, Missouri measured record high levels exceeding the 1937 record flood. The activation of the New Madrid Floodway by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on May 2 spared Carlisle County from an even higher crest. With the detonation of the Mississippi River levee at Birds Point, Missouri, the Mississippi River began to drop. Historic flooding of the Mississippi River inundated many low-lying areas. Portions of U.S. Highway 51 were closed due to flooding.

Record flooding occurred along the Mississippi River. The river gages at both Cairo, Illinois and New Madrid, Missouri measured record high levels exceeding the 1937 record flood.

Record flooding occurred on the Mississippi River. At the New Madrid, Missouri river gage, the flood crest of 48.35 feet on the night of May 5 broke the previous record (set in 1937) by a few inches. Historic flooding of the Mississippi River severely tested the strength of levees and floodwalls protecting Hickman. Numerous sand boils formed, but the levees remain intact. The bottomlands in the Hickman area were evacuated, and Kentucky Highway 94 was closed in many areas.