Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder posted an appeal on his blog Saturday for Missourians “to consider volunteering and helping those in northeast Missouri who are preparing sandbags as water levels continue to rise on the Mississippi River.”

And this Monday morning, Attorney General Jay Nixon plans to be among the sandbaggers who show up.

Kinder, a Republican who is the state’s acting governor while Gov. Matt Blunt is in Montreal, issued his plea for aid for “our brave residents in Hannibal, Canton, Alexandria and surrounding communities desperately need your help because there simply aren’t enough people on the ground right now….”

“The courageous folks in those communities are overwhelmed, working non-stop to protect their own homes. I am sad to report that the many great Mississippi River towns north of St. Louis are bracing for crests that could rival those set during the Great Flood of 1993….” Kinder wrote.

On Sunday, Kinder announced that he had ”requested President George W. Bush grant an expedited declaration for the entire state…With foreseeable flooding in West Quincy, Kinder deployed an additional 15 National Guard Citizen-Soliders today to help manage relief efforts….”

Late Sunday, Nixon’s campaign for governor announced that he was joining a fellow Democrat, state Sen. Wes Shoemyer of Clarence, and other regional officials and volunteers on the sandbag lines Monday morning.

“The Attorney General will help prepare sandbags and thank volunteers in Clarksville, Hannibal and West Quincy,” his release said. He’s slated to help out between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.