Ripley County experiencing flooding issues on Election Day

DONIPHAN Mo. (KBSI) – People in Ripley County try to vote but are forced to leave their homes instead as they are worried that flooding is going to end up another historic scene like it did in Doniphan in 2017.

Mike Barton is the Sheriff for Ripley County he was the Sheriff in 2017 when the flood hit and now, he is getting ready for a similar situation on Election Day. 

“The river is rising, and we are at about 10 feet at this moment. Weather prediction is stating that it’s going to crest at 28 feet,” said Barton. 

In Ripley County the current river is collecting water from the north and heading towards Ripley County as they are expecting about 28 feet of rain. 

Last time Ripley County experienced weather like this was in 2017 and they called it the Historic Flood. 

Ripley County Sheriff’s Department, Fire personnel, and Police Department went door to door to every resident in Ripley County to advise them to gather their belongings and evacuate. 

In 2017, which was our historical flood at that time, it rained nonstop for five days. Most of the rain has been happening up north so most of the rain has been coming southbound on the current river. So, it’s only been raining a couple of days. They are expecting about 28 feet and in 2017 the historic flood will reach the level of 33.1 feet.” 

Ripley County is keeping an eye throughout the night on the weather and doing everything they can for businesses and residents to make sure everyone stays safe.