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Flooding occurs at Fort Leavenworth airfield

By Staff Report - | Jun 29, 2011

Rising levels of the Missouri River early Wednesday caused water to undercut the Union Pacific Railroad tracks northwest of Sherman Army Airfield at Fort Leavenworth, causing the area to flood.

At 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, water began eroding the expanded earthworks that were put in place to reinforce the levee, said Rebecca Steed, a public information officer at the fort.

“As the floodwaters continue to rise, the levee system creates a bowl that the airfield sets in. This bowl will now begin to fill up as the water flows in from the railroad cut.” Steed said.

The airfield is the only area of Fort Leavenworth that is vulnerable to flooding.

Water has reached the hangars, but all salvageable equipment and property was relocated over the past several weeks in anticipation of rising river levels.

As of 10 a.m., the breech was 17 feet wide and two feet deep. Estimated cost of damage is unknown at this time.

Officials are closely monitoring river levels but are not speculating how high the waters will rise.