This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, April 30, 2011 - The Ohio River is trying its hardest to infiltrate the city of Cairo, Ill. That much was clear Friday as officials visited and residents decided whether to stay or flee. (Saturday, the Southest Missourian reported, the mayor ordered mandatory evacuation by midnight.
The river's most obvious line of attack is at the floodwall that runs along Ohio Street in Cairo's commercial district.
At 8th Street, a temporary gate is flanked by two ladders built into the floodwall, where people climbed up throughout the day to get a better look at the water rushing by more than 10 feet over the streets on the other side of the wall.
For now, the wall seems to be high enough: The National Weather Service predicts the waters will reach 60.5 feet at noon Tuesday, leaving three and a half feet to spare. A mark on the floodwall shows the 59.5 foot record set in February 1937. On Friday, the water still had not covered that mark.
But the Ohio is chipping away at the town's defenses on two other fronts: Straight through and tunnelling under. And this last is what has the mayor worried and residents watching.
With threats including rising waters at the floodwall, areas where water appeared to be trickling through the concrete, sinkholes in the middle of a street and finally a sand boil where water was bubbling up through the middle of a field, Cairo Mayor Judson Childs singled out the boil: "I have strong concerns about this."
The mayor toured the area with Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon and other officials Friday afternoon.
The sand boil, in a field north of 39th street, popped up Thursday night and required volunteers to pile sandbags, dirt and rocks throughout the night. The top of the sandbagging around the boil appeared to be about 10 to 12 feet above the rest of the field, with water still flowing over the top of the protection.
As the group talked about the efforts to contain the water, a member of the Army Corps of Engineers explored the rest of the field for evidence of more boils forming nearby.
The boil is not far from a massive gate that hangs over the main route into Cairo from the north, U.S. 51. The gate, which is no longer used, was built in 1914 and successfully secured the town during that 1937 flood of record.
The Ohio is trying to tunnel right into the heart of town too: Commercial Avenue between 11th and 12th streets -- a block from the popular Shemwell's Barbecue -- is closed. Sinkholes formed in the middle of the street, growing larger minute by minute.
As the officials toured the area, Durbin walked toward the edge of one sinkhole and peered into it to see the water bubbling and churning up from the ground. Sgt. Charlie Helmholt of the Army's 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, was taking photos while standing feet away from the Senator, when the ground suddenly gave way. Sgt. Helmholt sunk several feet into the street, but was uninjured.
Durbin later said the incident was "an eye-opener".
Ted Montrey traveled to Cairo from the Springfield office of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to see the damage. He said the department wanted to scout the river and its barriers for "suspect areas that might be dangerous". He said he was surprised to see how quickly the sinkholes were growing and expressed concern that the entire block might be in danger. Montrey also inspected an area north of 14th Street and Ohio, where some water appeared to be pushing its way through joints and cracks in the concrete floodwall as well as through the ground beneath it.
Throughout the day, residents gathered near the sinkholes, watching them grow. Some congregated on the sidewalk and talked for hours about their plans to leave, fearing the river, or stay, fearing looters. They swapped stories of prior floods. At times, processions of cars and trucks slowly idled through the intersections at either end of the closure, their passengers leaning out windows or snapping cell-phone photos.
Near 4 p.m. Friday, Conservation Police inspected the area and used caution tape to barricade the sidewalk as well as the road, as a precaution against the sinkholes expanding.
Childs has strongly advised residents to evacuate. When a reporter raised a concern about poverty levels affecting residents' ability to follow the mayor's suggestion, Childs said "We have transportation for everybody."
Some may climb to the top of the floodwall and peer into the Ohio rushing by, with faith in the predictions that it won't flow over the top. Some may see trickles through the wall or levees and sandbag what they can. Many will help move the tons of dirt and rock and sand to control and direct the water rising from beneath the town itself.
But for now, most have decided to stay.
