CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (AP) - Many southeast Missouri towns that survived the flood have an unlikely source to thank - prison inmates.
The Southeast Missourian reported Monday that inmates from several state prisons turned out to sandbag, build temporary levees and toil in the mud and the rain to fight the historic flooding.
Inmates from minimum security prisons in Charleston, Farmington, Potosi and Bonne Terre were involved in the flood fight. The Department of Corrections says they filled 55,000 sandbags, among many other tasks.
Corrections officials say the flood-fighting effort is one way inmates can offer some payback for their crimes.
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Information from: Southeast Missourian, http://www.semissourian.com