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CNN Live Today

In Grafton, Illinois Rains Exacerbate Flooding

Aired May 17, 2002 - 14:21   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: CNN's Keith Oppenheim has been standing in the water live in Grafton, Illinois with more on the water there, and also that weather forecast coming up in the next couple of days. Keith, good afternoon, how goes it?

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is pretty wet out here. Fortunately I have a little shelter over my head, Bill, to keep myself just a bit dry. But it is a rainy day. We will talk about that in just a moment as to why that is causing continued problems.

Where I am at is in Grafton, Illinois, the intersection of a couple of things. Intersection of two major rivers. Behind me is where the Illinois River and the Mississippi meet up, and it is also, on a smaller level, the intersection of Evans and Main Street in Grafton, and unfortunately, the water from the first intersection is creeping into the second, that's causing damage and a waiting game.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): The St. Louis area is a meeting of three big rivers -- the Illinois, the Missouri and the mighty Mississippi, all which have in the last week invaded low-lying areas -- places like Crystal City, Missouri, a town of 4,000 where residents are using boats to make their way around downtown. Crystal City is in the process of building a levy to keep the water out. Unfortunately, the flood came first.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As you can see we definitely need a levy here. It's just devastating to the town economically.

OPPENHEIM: Some businesses fight the flood by pumping out water and sandbagging. Many shut down or wait until the water goes away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last two days, three days since they shut the highway down, we've had no business.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I caught a fish like this big.

OPPENHEIM: Meanwhile people adapt to the changing environment. In crystal city teenagers fish in the streets and up to the north in Grafton, Illinois the attitudes about the flood are similar.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's Sammy. He's stranded. He hates it. OPPENHEIM: Dick and Charlene Shootle (ph) have a house that is up against the Illinois river, and despite a basement deep in water, they view this flood as part of a cycle they can to some degree accept.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just a way of life. If you want to have the nice tranquility of when the river is down, the birds and beautiful view, then it's like anything else, you got to take the bitter with the sweet.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OPPENHEIM: We are back live, now, Bill, and what you are looking at there is sort of a weird site. It is actually the backstop of a ball field and as you can see it is well submerged into the water and it is also trapping all sorts of debris from the Illinois river.

The National Weather Service has good and bad news. Bad news is behind me. Lots of rain today. Not helping matters. The better news is the forecast calls for a dry weekend, and the hope from lots of folks in the St. Louis area is that's the beginning of the end of this disaster.

HEMMER: We can only hope. Thanks Keith.

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