The Great Meramec River Flood of 2008 -- A Frontline View

My parents -- now retired -- decided recently that they would make the journey from Washington, DC to St. Louis to visit with me and their grandkids.  They normally fly, but with the extra time on their hands, they thought that they'd see how the drive was.

They left DC last Wednesday, would spend the night in Columbus, OH and then complete their journey on Thursday, arriving in St. Louis on the 20th.

I booked them a room at the newly-opened Drury Inn & Suites, right at the intersection of Highway 141 and Interstate 44.  This was the most convenient location, given that they would be shuttling back and forth from my apartment in Valley Park.

As anyone who watches the news knows, the rain that Missouri and other midwestern states experienced was torrential.  On Wednesday, it rained most of the day and as I was heading home, I saw that the Meramec River was pretty high.  My oldest kid, off from school from Spring Break remarked that the river was not only out of it's banks but looked like it was continuing to rise.

From the morning commute on Thursday morning, I could see that the old railroad bridge over the Meramec had debris piling up against it.  I had heard some murmurings on the news about flooding, but having never been through a flood, didn't pay much attention.  I worked through most of the day on Thursday, and my parents called as they crossed the Mississippi River and entered Missouri from Illinois.  I let folks know that I was leaving, and packed it up.

We headed down the highway access road next to Interstate 44 and I noticed some Missouri Sewer District trucks at the I-44 overpass.  I turned onto Highway 141 and saw that the right lane had water in it.  Again, it seemed more of a nuisance than a threat.

We greeted my parents at their hotel, and I saw most of the hotel employees heading outside.  We followed them and saw that the Highway 141 and Interstate 44 interchange was flooding.  Water was filling the roadway spilling over from the lowlying river basin adjacent to I-44.

By the time we came back to the hotel late that evening, the entire interchange was flooded, and the news helicopters, trucks and crowds of people stood in front of the hotel watching the water rise.

The water continued to rise Friday, and by Saturday morning, we heard that I-44 itself might have to be closed because the river might run over the roadway.  Crews worked into the night laying jersey walls down along the sides of the roads, covering them with plastic sheets and then sandbagging at the joints.

My father, an engineer, had a great time talking with the highway department, the news anchors and other folks who were there for the carnival atmosphere.  The hotel was full of Valley Park residents evacuated from their homes, and my mom enjoyed hearing their stories.

My kids, initially terrified by the rapidly rising water, were fascinated with nature's wrath.  My daughter, who has an unreasonable fear of flood waters, overcame her trepidation and ran up to the flooded area to see which signs were covered, how much roadway had disappeared and to see the swirl of road crews, news reporters and spectators.

By late Saturday night, the water crested at about 38 feet and the crowds peaked.

By Sunday morning, the waters had begun to recede, and throughout the day, we could see wet pavement where the water had previously covered it.

This morning, I went to the hotel to meet my folks for breakfast.  I had been detouring about 15 miles out of my way, the river being impassable and the highway 141 interchange being the only direct route to the hotel.  As I approached the hotel, I realized that traffic heading toward the flooded area was normal rush-hour heavy.  Pulling into the hotel I saw that the entire interchange, while wet, was completely passable.

An amazing chain of events, from a trickle in one lane, a major deluge to damp roadway again.

My folks had a blast.