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American Morning

Mississippi Retreats But Doesn't Surrender

Aired April 25, 2001 - 10:03   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, back here in Davenport, Iowa, the Mississippi River is showing signs of retreat, but no surrender. Serpentine floodwalls, made up of sandbags and steely determination, managed to hold back the river's crest. But the test is far from over. CNN's Lilian Kim is in Davenport. And she joins us now live with the latest -- Lilian.

LILIAN KIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, the Mississippi River here in Davenport has crested. But the flood fight is far from over. The river is still more than seven feet above flood stage.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KIM (voice-over): Along the Mississippi River, sandbags continue to surround homes as residents wait for the waters to recede. At 22.33 feet, the river crested just short of the record set eight years ago. In Iowa, so far, flooding has affected an estimated 1,300 homes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It could start again next year, and there will be more floods. And we adapt.

KIM: Crews remain on high alert in Davenport, where a makeshift levee stands as the downtown district's only protective barrier. Workers are looking out for any weak spots, hoping the temporary floodwall holds up as the river level remains high.

CHIEF MIKE BLADEL, DAVENPORT POLICE DEPARTMENT: It does have a tendency to grind you down. But it really bolsters you up when everybody works together. All the city departments are working together. The volunteers have been up. The community has been supporting us. So that really makes it a little bit easier on everyone.

KIM: Davenport is the only major city along the upper Mississippi without a permanent floodwall. Federal officials say city leaders should perhaps revisit the issue in light of this year's flooding.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not opposed to a floodwall. I want people to realize this city is for looking at anything engineering- wise that will help us. But a floodwall, we don't know that that's the entire answer. We have got some antiquated sewers and streets that need to be repaired that are along the riverfront.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KIM: The Mississippi River here in Davenport should remain at crest level throughout the day and should remain at flood stage for about a week-and-a-half. Reporting live from Davenport, Iowa, I'm Lilian Kim. Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right, Lilian, thanks so much. And we will continue to check in with you and follow the story, of course.

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