The Mississippi River continues to rise, so local residents and businesses are preparing for some major flooding. By the end of the week, the river is anticipated to crest at 24.8 feet at Lock & Dam #11 at Dubuque which would mark the third-highest river level ever recorded. At Prairie du Chien, the latest projections from the National Weather Service has the river reaching a level at or near 24.3 feet by Saturday afternoon with a gradual decline on Sunday and Monday to 24 feet.
Students in Cassville were allowed to skip school Monday morning to help fill and stack sandbags around the 223 homes in the community expected to be impacted by flooding.
Most of East Dubuque is above water, with the exception of the homes on Basten Road. Officials anticipate that East Dubuque’s levee will keep the river waters out of the city’s downtown.