Clarksville Seeks Long Term Solution to Flooding

Clarksville remains determined to find a permanent solution to recurrent Mississippi River flooding.

The Missouri State Emergency Management Agency is providing assistance as the city tries to come up with three-and-a-half-million dollars for a floodwall. The agency has not promised state funding, but did send a team to meet with city officials this week. Mayor Jo Anne Smiley says the funding process will be long and that the money will have to come from a variety of sources.

Earlier this year, a citizens’ panel endorsed buying a portable wall consisting of vertical steel barriers. A timetable for the purchase was not set.

Four of the top five floods in Clarksville history have happened since 1993, and three of them have occurred in the last six years.