Flood in Jackson County, Illinois

A large mobile home park east-northeast of Carbondale was flooded due to Crab Orchard Creek. Water was up to the bottom of mobile homes, and vehicles were submerged. Over 100 people were evacuated from the park. A business in Carbondale had two to six feet of water on the first floor. A two-day power outage affecting several buildings at Southern Illinois University was caused by water in manholes. Up to six feet of water was pumped out of a manhole before repairs could start. The small community of Makanda was cut off by flooded roads. A number of roads were closed by flooding, including Route 13, the main east-west artery through the county. At least one water rescue was conducted. About 30 basements were flooded in Murphysboro.

Mississippi River levels continued their climb from December, and record or near-record flooding occurred early in the month. The river gage at Thebes downriver in Alexander County crested at a new record of 47.74 feet on the 2nd. However, the river gage upriver at Chester in Randolph County did not break a record. A voluntary evacuation of the community of Grand Tower was requested, partly due to weaknesses in the levees along the Mississippi and Big Muddy Rivers. Grand Tower sits at the confluence of the Big Muddy and Mississippi Rivers. A Red Cross shelter was opened at Murphysboro. Illinois state highway department crews transported 50,000 sandbags and 100 rolls of plastic for stabilization of slides on a levee. Four state trucks were used to haul rock to low places that needed to be raised up. Illinois Route 3 was closed at the Randolph County line due to flooding. County leaders signed a disaster declaration for the county.

Major flooding of the Big Muddy River continued into January. At the Murphysboro river gage, the river crested at 36.11 feet before dawn on the 2nd. Flood stage there is 22 feet. At Murphysboro, floodwaters approached the flood level of 2008, when the river crested at 37.19 ft on March 23. A mobile home park, a few houses, and a church were flooded or threatened. Sandbagging was done around some affected structures. A Murphysboro couple was rescued by police and firefighters after they were trapped in their home by high water. Extensive flooding of low-lying fields occurred. The intersection of 3rd and Plum Streets in Murphysboro was closed. Floodwater covered the ground below an electrical substation. Slides or slumps developed along a portion of the levee near Grand Tower, prompting concerns about levee failure. Residents were asked to voluntarily evacuate a large area behind the levee. The situation around Grand Tower was heavily affected by backwater from the Mississippi River, which was near record high levels.