3,000 People Asked to Leave Pierre

     PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - The mayors of Pierre and Fort Pierre say
Gov. Dennis Daugaard's plea for people to leave flood-threatened
areas affects about 3,000 residents.
     Daugaard says people should leave by Thursday night because of
the threat of Missouri River flooding, but it is a request and not
a mandatory evacuation.
     Pierre Mayor Laurie Gill and Fort Pierre Mayor Sam Tidball say
they aren't surprised. They say the possibility of
evacuation has been discussed since last week. Levees are being
built in the city to hold back the swelling river.
      Fort Pierre's post office has been evacuated.
Mail will continue to be delivered where possible, but people whose
homes or businesses can't be reached have to pick up mail at the Pierre post office.