USCG closes portion of Mississippi River due to flooding

The U.S. Coast Guard closed a five-mile stretch of the Mississippi River near St. Louis due to high water levels and fast currents caused by the winter storm Goliath.    The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) closed a five-mile stretch of the Mississippi River near St. Louis between mile markers 179 and 184 due to high water levels and fast currents, the USCG said.
   The sudden surge in severe weather  was caused by the winter storm Goliath, which moved into the Northeast after causing damage to the central United States.
   Restrictions on the closed portion of the Mississippi River will be lifted after conditions improve, USCG said in a statement.
   Floodwaters, which are rising all over Missouri, southern Illinois, eastern Oklahoma and Arkansas, have left at least 22 dead, according to a report from The Weather Channel this morning.
   The stretch of the Mississippi River near St. Louis was at a moderate flood stage Monday and is forecasted to crest on Wednesday at the second highest level ever observed, just five feet below the all-time record set in 1993, according to Dr. Jeff Masters of Weather Underground.
   “All of us remember the devastating impact of the Great Flood of 1993, and that’s why we have been working proactively with our local and federal partners to prepare and respond,” Governor of Missouri Jay Nixon said in a statement. The Governor declared a state of emergency Monday and activated the National Guard on Tuesday to assist with the winter storms, NBC News said.