AmericasOperations

Traffic restricted by more USCG advisories and closures on Mississippi

Barges and other cargo vessels remained unable to access long stretches of one of America’s biggest inland waterways on Thursday as the US Coast Guard (USCG) issued a high water safety advisory for more than 560 miles of the Lower Mississippi River, according to Reuters.

The advisory, latest in a series of USCG advisories and closures, covered a section of the river from Caruthersville, Missouri, to near Natchez, Mississippi. It is expected to stay in effect for several weeks.

It followed Wednesday’s decision by USCG to close a 76-mile stretch of the Mississippi roughly defined by Chester, Illinois, to the north and Billings Island, Missouri, to the south. That restriction is expected to last until Sunday, relieving pressure on federal levees while the US Army Corps of Engineers performs flood control work.

The Midwest and South of the US have been experiencing extreme weather including blizzards, rainstorms and tornadoes, which have contributed to dangerously high water levels and rapid water flows in the Mississippi and some of its tributaries.

River water levels were already high in parts of Illinois and Missouri before this week saw 10 inches of rain over a three-day period.

These floods from overflowing rivers have forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes in Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Donal Scully

With 28 years experience writing and editing for newspapers in the UK and Hong Kong, Donal is now based in California from where he covers the Americas for Splash as well as ensuring the site is loaded through the Western Hemisphere timezone.
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