LOUISVILLE, Ky., April 25 (UPI) -- Flood controls in Louisville, Ky., installed after devastating floods in 1997 appear to be working, officials said Monday.
The Ohio River has been rising and there is some street flooding along its banks, WHAS-TV, Louisville, reported. But at a news conference Monday, Mayor Greg Fischer described the flooding as "relatively minor."
"Think of 5 or 6 inches of rain since Friday and if you were around in 1997, there would be a lot of angry people in this neighborhood," said Bud Schardein, executive director of the Metropolitan Sewer District.
In 1997, the Ohio crested at 38 feet and 40,000 residents and business owners reported flood damage. On Monday, the river measured 29.4 feet, and forecasters predicted it would top off at 33 feet later in the week.
"Obviously, mother nature is very powerful, and it could be another four feet or so by the time Thursday comes," Fischer said during a tour of flooded areas on River Road. "So, this is just getting started. You can see what the damage is here."
Residents of Poplar Bluff, Mo., were less fortunate. One neighborhood was evacuated because of the threatened failure of a levee, the Columbia Missourian reported.
