A Missouri River levee has failed in far southwest Iowa. The levee breach near the town of Percival was discovered when the river level downstream dropped about six inches.
Fremont County Emergency Management Director Mike Crecelius says it happened in an area that was previously evacuated between the river and Interstate 29. “We were notified at 6:15 this morning that there was water running across the Percival exit of I-29,” Crecelius said.
The gap in the levee is now about 200 feet wide, allowing floodwaters to cover the I-29. “The Iowa Department of Transportation is shutting down the interstate at exit 35, which I believe is the Glenwood exit, so the interstate will be basically closed in southwest Iowa,” Crecelius said.
The levee breach is located two-and-a-half miles northwest of Percival, which is about 16 miles north of Hamburg. Mid-America Energy has cut power on everything west of I-29 to the Missouri River in the area.