MUSCATINE, Iowa — Muscatine is starting to make closures as the Mississippi River in Muscatine is quickly approaching major flood stage.
As of Wednesday morning, April 26, the Mississippi in Muscatine was sitting at moderate flood stage. Public works crews began putting up HESCO barriers Tuesday, April 25.
News 8's Charles Hart spoke with the city's communications manager Kevin Jenison who said they're well prepared for this year's flooding.
"The public works department has put together a great game plan and they started weeks ago preparing for this," Jenison said.
The city is planning on closing their Flood Gate #1 on Wednesday, followed by #2 on Thursday, April 27. Mississippi Drive is closed from Iowa Avenue to Cedar Street, as well Running River Trail from Musser Park to the Sherman Street intersection on River Road.
The city is providing empty sand bags for residents and business owners, who are then responsible for obtaining the sand and filling the bags.
"The business owners themselves have been through this enough times before and worked with us before," Jenison said. "So they're even more prepared now."
In 2019, the river rose to the third highest crest in Muscatine history at over 24.5 feet.
"We were greatly impacted [in 2019] , just because of the height," Jenison said. "And we haven't had a flood that high, in almost 20 years. And then we've had some new construction along Mississippi Drive, and we completely redid the street."
For more information on the City of Muscatine's flood preparations, including closures, click/tap here.
The Mississippi River at Muscatine is expected to reach major flood stage, which is 20 feet, Wednesday, April 26, early afternoon.