MoDOT and city departments prepare for rain, flash flooding

The Missouri Department of Transportation and the City of Columbia said they have crews on standby for this weekend’s rain.

“We got our equipment ready, our barricades loaded up, our signs loaded up,” said MoDOT engineer Mike Schupp.

MoDOT knows what areas are most prone to flooding, including Route ZZ in Boone County and Route HH in Cooper County, according to Schupp.

Anyone can call 311 to report flooded roadways or fallen limbs and debris. Schupp said it’s most useful for people to report when water is filling ditches because it can create a flash flood.

Columbia Public Works Spokesperson Barry Dalton said the city monitors the weather carefully.

City crews will respond to calls of flooded areas and set up barricades.

“Please do not move barricades, let public crews or state or county crews move those,” he said. “We do have a problem sometimes with people moving them on their own.”