Missouri River attracting attention from locals as water level crests

By Chris Fortune

Moderate flooding on the Missouri River is attracting visitors from Northwest Missouri who want to see the river level up close.

Locals have stopped by viewing spots such as Riverfront Park and the Remington Nature Center for a chance to see the river that crested at about 23.5 feet on Thursday, which was enough to fall within moderate flood stage.

The rising water reminded a Savannah resident who visited Riverfront Park of the flood of 1993. St. Joseph recorded a water crest that year of over 32 feet in a flood that brought the community together over 30 years ago.

“I’m old enough to remember ‘93, and I feel like this is a big event, so we just came down,” Nick Bentsen said. “We wanted to check the water and see what was going on while we can get down here and take a look at it.”

Bentsen brought his family because he wanted to give them a chance to see history. Missouri River water levels have not reached their current height since 2019.

“It’s definitely important to bring everybody out here and see the type of history that can happen in their lifetime,” he said. “These things only happen every so often.”

A St. Joseph couple was also in the area for the flood of 1993. For them, it was another chance to see what it meant to be at a flood stage.

“We’ve experienced floods on the river before, and we came down to see how much it was like the one several years ago,” Don Mahaffy said.

His wife saw it as an opportunity to remind herself how powerful nature can be while having a safe spot to view the river.

“I just think it’s really good for us to see the force of nature sometimes and remember we don’t know everything, and we can’t control everything,” Sara Mahaffy said.

The fast-moving river could be seen carrying large branches and other objects, including a wooden post that got caught in the current on Thursday.

“I am always amazed when I see logs or something traveling and how fast they go,” she said.