MOKANE, Mo. - For longtime Mokane residents, flooding is business as usual.
"It'll go down in a few days," Desra Hockemeyer, a part-owner of a Mokane store, said Thursday. "It happens every year. This year it just lasted a little bit longer."
Even though she may be used to the water, Hockemeyer said the closed roads are still annoying.
"It has an impact," she said. "There is really only one way in, one way out of town right now. It's a bit aggravating to get to 94 or Highway C right now."
While her store may be located on an impromptu beach front for now, it will remain open, Hockemeyer said.
"We will keep working," she said. "We are open every day. Besides, we have seen higher than this."
Hockemeyer said agriculture in the area will feel the biggest impact.
"All the farmer's fields that flood; they are going to lose a lot of beans and corn," she said. "But, anyone who has lived here for any amount of time are used to it. You just have to go with the flow."
South Callaway Schools
"I was out with the transportation director today looking at trouble spots," South Callaway Superintendent Kevin Hillman said. "We have rerouted some of the buses. It's tough on the kids; they are having to go a lot more miles than before."
A little standing water can't stop South Callaway, Hillman said.
"The bus drivers, the students and the teachers have all done a great job and been a big help," he said.
"This is a stressful time for everybody. I have to give some 'kudos' to the county as well. We do have damage on a couple of roads, and they have been exceptional in fixing those areas."
Keeping morale up helps, Hillman said, but sometimes Mother Nature wins the day regardless.
"Every day we lose a few more roads," he said. "It's gotten to the point where we are afraid we might have to decide to cancel school tonight. The river is supposed to have crested this morning (Thursday), but the water doesn't have anywhere to go."
Hillman said for the sake of students and parents alike, closing the school for a day or two may end up being the best option.
"We will not have kids on buses all day long," he said. "We are getting close to facing that. If the water goes up, we will be in trouble and have to make the call (to close). We are going to check it several more times and keep our eye on it, then we will make the determination tonight."
South Callaway did not announce any closures at press time.
Mokane mail
"Some of the roads down there are impassable," Fulton Postmaster Jason Hirschvogel said. "It's not ideal, but that's what we are dealt."
Luckily for Mokane, Hirschvogel said the area's mail carrier is stronger than any flood.
"Gale, the carrier for that area, knows all the detours and routes he has to take to get around the water," he said. "A day or two ago, he detoured about 60 miles. He knows the area."
