Cairo residents allowed to check property

CAIRO, Ill. — Authorities are allowing residents of the flood-evacuated southern Illinois city of Cairo to visit their properties.

Cairo police chief Gary Hankins says residents are allowed back into town on Friday, but must leave right away and can’t stay the night. He says the mandatory evacuation order that issued April 30 remains in effect.

Cairo is near the confluence of Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Hankins says the rivers are still at near-record highs and “it’s just still not safe.” He says the evacuation length is open-ended.

Meanwhile state emergency officials say they’re seeing declines in water levels on the Mississippi and Wabash rivers. However the Ohio River is holding or slightly up.

They say that’s because two Kentucky lakes have been releasing built-up water into the Ohio River.