Mar 1, 1997
A death occurred when an 18-year-old girl lost control of her vehicle and went off a levee which bound backwater from the Mississippi River. This death occurred around 4:30 A.M. about 9 miles east of Portageville, Missouri. The most significant flooding occurred downriver from Cairo, including New Madrid, due mainly to a massive flood crest from the Ohio River. A Red Cross shelter was opened in East Prairie. About 30 county roads were closed, as was Big Oak Tree State Park. Several businesses al
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database (event 5594924). Narrative written by NWS staff at the time of the event.
This event is one of many recorded floods in Perry County. See the full FEMA flood zone map, NFIP claim totals, and disaster history for the area.