Monday, July 02, 2007

Correct Way To Say "Verdigris"

You can sure tell the TV and radio people not from this part of the country- trying to pronounce towns and rivers- incorrectly.

The river that inundated Independence & Coffeyville-KS is pronounced "Ver-dig-ree."

I've called my employer twice to tell them the correct way to say it- but apparently a big gap between the desk phones and the Teleprompter.

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Five American Servicepeople Killed Sunday In Iraq

So much for the Wrath of Nature- Now back to the world of man...

Five more American military died in Iraq Sunday. The death toll is now at an AP-estimated 3582 Americans in a "war" that never should have been.
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Flood Crest Passing Osawatomie-KS

According to the latest river gauge readings- the Marais des Cygne River has crested early Monday morning at the flood-embattled city of Osawatomie in Miami County.

The highest crest was at 1 am- when the river reached 49.19 feet. The record crest was in 1951 at 50.3 feet and the top of the levee system is 51 feet.

Many of the 4600 residents of Osawatomie remain evacuated and parts of town are under water after a levee on Pottawatomie Creek on the southern border of the town was overtopped.

The highest flood crest on the Marais des Cygne in 56 years is moving toward La Cygne and Trading Post in Linn County- KS..

U.S. 69 remains closed in Linn County and busy U.S. 71- 20 miles east- is threatened as well by floodwaters.
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Sunday, July 01, 2007

Osawatomie-KS On The Verge Of Devastation By Floodwaters


The results of nearly 2 feet of rain over 3 days are wreaking havoc over Eastern and Southeastern Kansas. A near-record flood crest has passed Ottawa-KS- about 20 miles upriver from Osawatomie.

The city of Osawatomie has issued a "mandatory evacuation" for all residents "east of 12th Street"- or 2/3 of the city of 4600 people.

A record flood crest on Pottawatomie Creek that runs along the southern edge of Osawatomie topped the levees just before noon.

The flood crests on the Pottawatomie and the Marais des Cygnes are meeting at Osawatomie. Water levels are rising about four-tenths of a foot per hour.
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Latest NWS River Reading at Osawatomie-KS


As you see by the graphic below- the Marais des Cygnes River in Osawatomie is now at 48.23 feet- up from 47.48 feet at 1:15pm and now 2.07 feet below the record flood crest of 50.3 set on July 12- 1951 (the day before Kansas City's massive 1951 Kansas River flood began).


The river is also within 2.77 feet of reaching the top of the levee system protecting Osawatomie. Much of that city of 4600 people would be flooded if the levee is topped.

Emergency operations and voluntary evacuations continue in Osawatomie.
Possible looting reported in the 1100 blocks of North 4th and 5th Streets reported at 4:54 pm..

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Latest NWS Flood Stage - Info At Osawatomie-KS

Osawatomie-KS info and images From NWS River Forecast Center.

River Gauge Location


River Gauge Reading at 1315 CDT - Sunday - (Almost 47.5 feet and still rising - the 2nd highest flood of record by 3 feet in Osawatomie).

Historical Crests
(1) 50.30 ft on 07/12/1951
(2) 44.32 ft on 11/18/1928
(3) 43.30 ft on 11/03/1998
(4) 42.70 ft on 04/24/1944
(5) 42.48 ft on 06/03/1935

51.0 THE LEVEE AT OSAWATOMIE IS OVERTOPPED. WIDESPREAD FLOODING OF HOMES- BUSINESSES- AND ROADS BEHIND THE LEVEE OCCURS.

43.0 THE MISSOURI-PACIFIC RAILROAD TRACKS WILL BE OVERTOPPED BY FLOOD WATERS.

39.0 MANY ROADS IN THE VICINITY OF OSAWATOMIE ARE UNDER WATER. THE WATER ALSO REACHES THE BOTTOM OF THE MISSOURI-PACIFIC RAILROAD BRIDGE.

31.0 347TH ROAD...MAIN STREET...EAST OF HIGHWAY 169 IS UNDER WATER.

28.0 LOW-LYING AREAS ALONG THE RIVER BEGIN TO FLOOD.

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Request For Reader Information on Flooding

Help out the readers in our area and nationwide on this serious flooding in Kansas and Missouri.

Anyone living in or near the flooded areas and have reports on flooding- evacuations and/or rainfall in your area - please click and "voice your opinion on the subject."

TIA-
Groucho

KANSAS CITY MetroRegion BREAKING NEWS: Battle With Floodwater Continues In Osawatomie-KS.

The drama continues into early Sunday afternoon- as levees protecting this southwestern Miami County city are being sandbagged in attempt to keep back the near-record flood on the Pottawatomie Creek meeting the already-flooded Marais des Cygnes River (Click on and refer to Google map/sat hybrid image below). It sounds like the floodwaters have won in some areas of the city.

It's unknown how many in that city of 4600 residents have evacuated their homes. Businesses are heard evacuating equipment from threatened areas.


Most of the Marais des Cygne watershed- below Pomona and Melvern flood-control dams as well as Pottawatomie Creek watershed recorded from 11 to 20 inches of rain the past 3 days.

Also threatened downstream from Osawatomie is the Linn County towns of La Cygne and Trading Post.

U.S. 69 remains closed in Linn County- and U.S. 71 is threatened 20 miles east across the Missouri state line between Butler and Nevada. U.S. 54 is also closed west of Nevada

All the heavier rain has now moved south of these areas. Of concern now is heavy rain in already record-flooded Independence & Coffeyville-KS. near the Oklahoma border.

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KANSAS CITY MetroRegion BREAKING NEWS: Flood Evacuations Continue In Miami and Linn Counties Kansas


Evacuations have been carried out of residents in and near Osawatomie and La Cygne-KS this Sunday morning.

It is not known the number of people evacuated around Osawatomie- but Miami County has emergency operations in progress for the flooded areas.

A major flood from up to 20 inches of rain over 3 days in Anderson County poured into Pottawatomie Creek and it met the swollen Marais des Cygnes River at Osawatomie early this morning (see map below).


At least 25 homes were reported evacuated- 15 were flooded by Pottawatomie Creek in the tiny town of Lane-KS in extreme southeastern Franklin County at 8:30 am this morning.

Linn County-KS has mobilized their volunteer fire departments to assist in evacuations near La Cygne and the tiny town of Trading Post is threatened by floodwaters from the Marais des Cygne as well..

Floodwaters are also affecting Bates and Vernon Counties in West Central Missouri where boats were just requested by the MO Highway Patrol.

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The Kansas City MetroRegion Overnight News and Weather Report - Sunday, July 01, 2007

** THREE STABBED- ONE SHOT OVERNIGHT **
Three people- including an 18-year-old male- suffered serious injuries from a stabbing in the 200 block of North Ash in Independence-MO early Sunday morning.
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Just before 2 am- a woman in the 4900 block of SOuth Benton called KC-MO police and told them her husband had been shot.
The victim was taken to an area trauma center with non life-threatening wounds. There was no suspect information.
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** KC-MO POLICE "OPERATION 100" OVERNIGHT **

... This began around 2:20 am in the 1500 block of East 42nd Street in Midtown. Police wanted a "male suspect" in a house that contained at least 5 adults and 4 children.
Those in the house came out and surrendered over the next hour and the SWAT-type operation concluded around 3:45 am without injury.
Police didn't say what the "male suspect" was wanted for.
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<><><>OVERNIGHT WEATHER<><><>

The upper-level low pressure responsible for all the deadly and damaging flooding from Texas northward into the Kansas City MetroRegion is showing signs of moving away- from us anyway.

See future and previous bulletins on this Web site on the on-going flooding.

With all the wet ground- any sun that shines should billow up a few showers and storms- but we WILL see some sun and more-normal temperatures through Wednesday- July 4.

Independence Day fireworks may have to compete with Mother Nature's fireworks.
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First with Metro Kansas City Breaking News - NBC41 ACTION NEWS.
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KANSAS CITY WEATHER UPDATE: Short List Of Major Roads Closed By Flooding


This from recent NWS reports:

0530 CDT- U.S. 69 CLOSED NEAR LA CYGNE IN LINN COUNTY- KS..
U.S. 169 CLOSED NEAR LANE IN EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN MIAMI COUNTY- KS..

0457 CDT - A 4 MILE STRETCH OF KANSAS HIGHWAY (K-) 68 IS CLOSED WEST OF OTTAWA DUE TO WATER OVER THE ROADWAY.

0355 CDT- MAJOR FLASH FLOODING ON (U.S.) HIGHWAY 59 WITH WATER LITERALLY POURING ACROSS THE HIGHWAY INTO ERIE (KS).


0350 CDT- (U.S.) HIGHWAY 169 CLOSED FROM GARNETT TO CHANUTE.
(U.S.) HIGHWAY 54 CLOSED FROM IOLA TO YATES CENTER.

0350 CDT- MAJOR FLASH FLOODING IN SOUTHWEST IOLA-KS WITH MOST ROADS BARRICADED.


THE FOLLOWING LOCATION CONTINUES TO GET RAIN SINCE THIS REPORT: 0421 PM (SATURDAY) RAINFALL TOTAL THE PAST THREE DAYS AT A GAUGE 1 MILE NORTH OF COLONY-KS- 17.60-INCHES. COLONY IS IN SOUTHERN ANDERSON COUNTY.

The radar image below is almost exactly 21 hours since the last indicated-precipitation map was posted. Many of the areas covered by white has at least 13 inches. Most locations have exceeded the top of the NWS radar-indicated rainfall scale.

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Tornado Strikes Monroe LA With Confirmed Injuries

The tornado struck around noon on Easter Sunday. There is considerable damage repo rted in that northeastern Louisiana city of around 5000...