PACIFIC, Mo. – There are increasing flood concerns Thursday morning for communities along the Meramec River as river levels rise from the torrential rains earlier this week.

Officials in Pacific are encouraging people in impacted areas to leave their homes and businesses by 6 a.m. Thursday morning. Around that time, Pacific officials say the area will start to take on rising water.

Pacific officials say the evacuation is not mandatory. To help people protect their homes, many sandbags have been put out at a commuter lot just off First Street, ready for people to take as they need them.

FOX 2’s Bommarito Automotive SkyFox was over the area Wednesday afternoon as floodwaters were rising. Pacific police say so far Thursday morning, they have not responded to any urgent flood-related issues.

Pacific officials have road closures and detours ready to go. Authorities have also been in contact with Ameren and Spire crews to talk about potential utility shutdowns.

The Pacific community is stepping up to help their neighbors in need. Many people came out to help fill sandbags Wednesday at the commuter lot. Two shelters are also set to open in the Pacific Thursday morning.

Pacific Mayor Heather Filley said that flooding could impact the ability of first responders to get to emergency calls. “Once certain areas of our town do flood, we are very limited on our response times, so what our emergency responders can normally respond to, possibly three to five to seven minutes, now may take them 20, 30 minutes to get to,” Filley said.

Communities downstream from Pacific are also preparing for impacts from flooding.
In fact, Valley Park is closing its flood walls at 8 a.m. Thursday morning to help protect the community from high water.