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Jefferson City braces for possible flooding as tornado cleanup continues

Jefferson City flooding.jpg
Posted at 3:04 PM, May 24, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-05 12:38:23-04

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Midwest weather can be unforgiving at times.

Two days after being hit with an EF-3 tornado, city officials in Jefferson City are bracing for the possibility of flooding this weekend.

Tornado cleanup continued Friday, but already some roads are being closed due of flooding.

"The day before the tornado, we made an emergency declaration, because we knew that our river was rising to record levels," Jeff City Mayor Carrie Tergin said. "We evacuated part of the city and airport. We felt we were bracing for the worst, then we have a tornado."

The Missouri River has been rising steadily all week, and things are expected to get worse with rain in the forecast for the next few days.

"There are a lot of roads, parking, areas north of the river — they needed to get out, we know that," Tergin said. "The airport has been a big one. I had to cancel the Salute to Veterans Air Show scheduled for Memorial Day, so we are making it work."

She said she's confident that, since a heavy emergency response is already in the city because of the tornado, they are ready for anything the rising water may bring.

"We have a flood, we have a tornado, we are already mobilized, we are ready to deal with the disaster," Tergin said.