Currents, Fast-Rising Water Shut 403 Miles of Mississippi River

The Coast Guard ordered all boat and barge traffic from a 403-mile stretch of the Mississippi River on Monday, saying fast-rising water and treacherous currents made the waterway unsafe.

The river was closed from Minneapolis south to Muscatine, Iowa, and the National Weather Service predicted flooding could approach or exceed 1993 levels. The river was expected to crest at 20 to 22 feet next week at Davenport, Iowa, where the record was 22.6 feet in 1993.

The forecast prompted Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack to issue an advance disaster proclamation for the 10 counties along the river.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott McCallum declared a state of emergency Monday for nine counties south of the point where the Mississippi begins to form the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin.

McCallum took a helicopter tour and said Fountain City, about 40 miles northwest of La Crosse, appeared to be the hardest hit.

“It’s going to get worse,” said Al Blencoe, an emergency dispatcher in La Crosse. The river there was at 16 feet Monday, 4 feet above flood stage. It was expected to crest at 17 feet early Wednesday, just short of the record 17.9 feet set in 1965.

The rising river submerged a stretch of railroad track near Minneapolis, forcing Amtrak to put passengers onto buses between Minneapolis and Chicago. Flood warnings were in effect from the Twin Cities in Minnesota along the Minnesota-Wisconsin line.