Atchison County emergency officials are busy preparing for increased flooding of the Missouri River. The Army Corps of Engineers has stepped up the release of water from upstream dams and is gearing up to do that again sometime next week. County Emergency Preparedness head Lori Chew says Atchison's levees are in good shape, and when flows increase, the elevation of the county shoud keep flooding to a minimum.
Heavy rains and melting snow have pushed more water into the Gavins Point Dam in South Dakota than it can safely hold back, so the Army Corps of Engineers is releasing an unprecedented amount of water from the facility. That will bring an even bigger surge of water to the area next week. But more rain upriver could cause engineers to increase its planned releases yet again.