Located next to the Ohio river in the southern most area of Illinois, Metropolis, the home of superman, is not looking very super right now since flood waters have exceeded record levels set back in 1937.
As a result of historic rainfall during the past couple weeks, the nearby Ohio river has swollen well past its banks and the flood water has affected many area homes and businesses. Driving through the community, you find neighbors helping neighbors attempting anything and everything to save their property while fighting the water levels with sandbags and anything they can find to hold back the rising water. Many residents are leaving the area to stay with friends or relatives. Many area roads are closed due to the flood waters aggravating rescue and assistance efforts.
As a last resort, and to relieve the pressure from the rising water, the Army Corps of Engineers decided to activate a flood channel designed back in 1928. The channel, protected by the Bird's Point levee, was built as an emergency option to relieve the pressure from massive floods in the Mississippi and Ohio river areas. The levee is located near where the Mississippi and Ohio rivers meet, and since it's inception has never been activated until now.
Late last night the Army Corps of Engineers blew up a half mile wide section of the levee and allowed water from the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to flood about 130,000 acres of farmland in southeast Missouri. The controversial action has lowered levels in some locations along both rivers as much as 2 feet, while other areas haven't benefitted as much as hoped. This picture was taken about 12 hours after the levee was blown.
