Midwest floodwaters could linger for weeks
Pastor Dale Morgan
Midwest floodwaters could linger for weeks*
CHICAGO, June 23 (AFP) Jun 23, 2008
The worst of the flooding that has ravaged the midwestern United States
is nearly over, but it will be weeks before the murky water recedes in
many areas, the National Weather service warned Monday.
Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from their homes in Iowa,
Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri and Indiana due to the heavy rains and
deadly storms which swept through the region in recent weeks.
Early estimates place the damage in the billions as roads were washed
out, rail and barge traffic shut down and millions of acres of crops
were swamped.
Scores of levees collapsed or were overtopped by the rushing waters
which swallowed entire towns.
The extreme weather which began May 25 and included a series of deadly
tornadoes claimed the lives of 22 people, 17 of whom were in Iowa.
More than 11 million people in nine midwestern states were affected by
the flooding and extreme weather, the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) said.
"The worst of it is likely over ... for the bulk of the people," said
Steve Buan, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service.
All the tributary rivers of the Mississippi above St. Louis, Missouri
have now crested, Buan said, but it will take three more days before the
towns down river know whether their levies will hold.
The river is expected to rise by about another six inches (15
centimeters) in areas up to 150 miles (240 kilometers) downstream.
"A lot of these rivers won't go back below flood stage until mid-July,"
Buan told AFP. "It's going to take a long time to dry out."