An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | June 16, 2008

National Guard in two states prepare for rising river waters

By Lt. Col. Ellen G. Krenke National Guard Bureau

ARLINGTON, Va. - More than 600 National Guard members in Illinois and Missouri will continue sandbagging operations along the Mississippi River today in an effort to thwart the floodwaters that are subsiding in Iowa.

The Illinois and Missouri rivers flow into the Mississippi just north of St. Louis. Unlike 1993, flooding on those rivers is not as bad as it was then, according to local news reports. In St. Louis floodwaters are expected to crest at 39.4 on Friday, which is about 10 feet below the record set in 1993.

In Illinois, 400 Soldiers and Airmen were mobilized over the weekend to work on the levees north and south of Quincy, Ill. About 100 Air National Guard personnel from the 183rd Fighter Wing in Springfield, Ill. and the 182nd Airlift Wing in Peoria were mobilized on Sunday and directed to the Sny Island Levee, which stretches for more than 50 miles in Adams and Pike counties.

The Soldiers and Airmen are expected to fill 500,000 sandbags today as they help fortify levees along a 15-mile stretch on their side of the swollen Mississippi near Quincy, according to the Associated Press.

"Guardsmen are working with local volunteers, Illinois Emergency Management Agency personnel, local authorities and other state agencies making heroic efforts to protect critical infrastructures and lives," said Maj. Gen. William Enyart, the adjutant general of the Illinois National Guard. "(We) have the full support of the governor, state legislators and federal official in coping with the largest flood since the record-breaking flood of 1993."

Enyart said more National Guard troops are available if needed.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has declared 15 Illinois counties as disaster areas.

"We're at a very critical juncture in the fight against the Mighty Mississippi, and I am committed to providing every possible state resource we can to help protect these threatened communities," Blagojevich said. "In addition to our many National Guard troops and other personnel and assets already in the region, I am encouraging my state agency directors to allow their employees who are certified as American Red Cross volunteers to help out during this emergency. We all need to pull together and help our fellow Illinoisans during their time of great need."

In Missouri, about 200 Soldiers are monitoring the levees in Canton and West Quincy and sandbagging in Canton, Hannibal and Clarksville. There are also liaison officers working with officials in Clark, Lewis, Marion, Ralls, Pike and Lincoln counties.

An additional 65 Soldiers will be mobilized today to support the communities of Clarksville and Hannibal, said Capt. Tammy Spicer, the state public affairs officer.

Missouri National Guard units supporting the flood response efforts include the 1438th Engineer Company (Bridge) from Macon and Kirksville, the 1138th Transportation Company from Jefferson Barracks and Centertown, the 835th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion from Jefferson City and the 70th Troop Command and the 1035th Maintenance Company, both from Jefferson Barracks.

"The Missouri National Guard has a trained, disciplined force ready to meet the challenge of the rising waters," said Maj. Gen. King Sidwell, adjutant general of the Missouri National Guard.

These mobilizations are a result of an executive order signed by Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt on Wednesday.  The will remain on duty until released by local authorities and the governor.

"We remain engaged with local officials along the river working to anticipate future needs," Spicer said.

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Soldiers with the Army National Guard speak with D.C. locals while patrolling Metro Center Aug 26, 2025. About 2,000 National Guard members are supporting the D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission providing critical support to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department in ensuring the safety of all who live, work, and visit the District.
Guard Members From Six States, D.C. on Duty in Washington in Support of Local, Fed Authorities
By Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy, | Aug. 29, 2025
WASHINGTON – More than 2,000 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from six states and the District of Columbia are on duty in Washington as part of Joint Task Force – District of Columbia in support of local and federal...

Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, Maj. Gen. Russel Honore, Task Force Katrina commander, and Brig. Gen. John Basilica, 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team commander, talk to news media during the aftermath of Hurricane Rita on Sep. 29, 2005. Basilica was appointed commander of Task Force Pelican, responsible for coordinating National Guard hurricane response efforts across the State. The task force included tens of thousands of National Guard Soldiers from Louisiana and other states.
Louisiana Guard’s Tiger Brigade Marks 20th Anniversary of Redeployment and Hurricane Response
By Rhett Breerwood, | Aug. 29, 2025
NEW ORLEANS – This fall, the Louisiana National Guard’s 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, known as the Tiger Brigade, commemorates the 20th anniversary of its redeployment from Iraq in September 2005, coinciding with the...

Alaska Air National Guard HH-60G Pave Hawk aviators and Guardian Angels, assigned to the 210th and 212th Rescue Squadrons, respectively, conduct a hoist rescue demonstration while participating in a multi-agency hoist symposium at Bryant Army Airfield on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, July 22, 2025. The symposium, hosted by Alaska Army National Guard aviators assigned to Golf Company, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion, included U.S. Coast Guard crews assigned to Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic out of Air Stations Kodiak and Sitka, Alaska Air National Guardsmen with the 176th Wing rescue squadrons, U.S. Army aviators from Fort Wainwright’s 1-52nd General Support Aviation Battalion, Alaska State Troopers, and civilian search and rescue professional volunteers from the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group. The collaborative training drew on the participants’ varied backgrounds, experiences, and practices, to enhance hoist proficiency and collective readiness when conducting life-saving search and rescue missions in Alaska’s vast and austere terrain. (Alaska Army National Guard photo by Alejandro Peña)
Alaska Air Guard Conducts Multiple Hoist Rescues of Stranded Rafters on Kichatna River
By Staff Sgt. Seth LaCount, | Aug. 29, 2025
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Alaska Air National Guard members with the 176th Wing rescued three rafters Aug. 28 after their raft flipped over on the Kichatna River.The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center opened...