Brunswick residents preparing for the worst

Brunswick is in crisis mode, city officials said Tuesday.

Residents have been sandbagging since Thursday in preparation for flooding on the Grand River, a tributary of the Missouri River. But some homes are already underwater.

Chariton County Emergency Management director Eric McKenzie said residents and volunteers from other cities have joined in the sandbagging work. The Army Corps of Engineers also arrived to help Tuesday morning.

“We always wanna prepare for the worst. We’re not saying the worst is coming, but we want to be prepared for it,” McKenzie said.

McKenzie said in the last 24 hours river predictions have gotten higher. This means more concerns for residents of the city. The Grand River near the town was about 2 feet below major flood stage Tuesday morning and was expected to surpass the 33-foot major flood stage level early Wednesday.

The river is expected to crest at 36 feet this weekend, which would set a record.

Flooding closed Highway 24 west of Brunswick last week.

Resident Mariah Cruse recently graduated from high school but said she never expected to start her summer this way.

“I did it Friday evening and I’ve been out here since probably 10 this morning,” she said of the sandbagging efforts.

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Cruse said sandbagging is hard work, but it is worth it to help the other residents. She said she is concerned for some of her friends, so she has been helping them move out of their homes.

McKenzie said all evacuations are voluntary, but he highly recommends some people in town leave their homes.