Southern Illinois flooding, levee breach discussed by Illinois congressional delegation

WASHINGTON–The controversial levee breach to prevent Mississippi River flooding in southern Illinois was the major topic Thursday at the Illinois delegation lunch in the Capitol hosted by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)

Durbin has been receiving briefings on the Southern Illinois flooding situation by the Director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA), Jonathan Monken and the Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard Major General William Enyart.

Said Durbin in a statement: News has been promising since the breach of the levee at Birds Point by the Army Corps of Engineers. In Cairo, the Ohio River has dropped to 60 feet, more than a foot and a half lower than it was at the time of breach. This morning, in Metropolis where sandbagging continues, the river measured 54.7 feet. Without that breach, the river was forecast to have steadily crept up to a crest of more than 58 feet in Metropolis.

At the lunch: Mark Kirk (R-IL) and seven members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation attended today’s luncheon including: Representatives Jerry Costello (D-IL), Danny Davis (D-IL), Bob Dold (R-IL), Randy Hultgren (R-IL), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Don Manzullo (R-IL), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Bobby Schilling (R-IL).