JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Gov. Jay Nixon is urging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to approve plans for a temporary levee to protect land in southeastern Missouri.
The Army Corps breached the Birds Point levee along the Mississippi River last month to reduce the flooding threat to Cairo, Ill. The levee breach flooded 130,000 acres and damaged or destroyed houses in southeastern Missouri.
Nixon says his administration is prepared to build a temporary levee at the initial detention site on the Birds Point levee. Nixon sent a letter Monday to the Army Corps urging it to expedite its review and approval of that plan.
Nixon says the temporary levee is vital for public safety and economic growth. He says the temporary levee is needed for farmers to start planting crops this growing season.