The worst flooding in history
Flooding kills 24 people in Illinois and Missouri in what seems to be one of the largest flooding in history.
Gov. Jay Nixon urges people to stop driving through floodwater. Most of the people who died these days made the mistake of underestimating the levels of floodwater on the streets.
According to Nixon in some parts of Missouri the water is higher than the previous flooding record in 1993, which makes it even more dangerous.
After Bourbeuse and Meramec River swelled to unprecedented levels flooding interstates and isolating a lot of people over a period of a few days, John Griesheimer the Presiding Commissioner of Franklin County said that the flooding is the worst in the county’s history.
Pacific residents are in shock after seeing their town underwater, especially landmarks such as the opera house but also local business as restaurants and florist shops. The cold and windy weather makes it even harder especially for people who have lost their homes.
Ohio and Mississippi rivers meet in the Alexander County where Ohio will probably crest to over 3 feet over the major flooding stage on Sunday.
Girardeau and McClure towns have been evacuated after sheriff’s deputies went to all houses and told people to pack their clothes and family pictures.
Illinois National Guard has been activated to help local authorities especially in the south of the state.
Flood warnings have been issued in 17 states which host over 9.3 million people as Mississippi River crested in the south of St. Louis.
Meramec meets Mississippi near Arnold, where it crested 9 feet over the major flooding stage, threatening the houses of 20,000 people. Until now 10 houses have been flooded. The water level in one of them reached about 7 feet.
In St. Louis flooding has affected schools and shopping centers as the waters submerged more neighborhoods. Many houses have been carried away by the waters.
In Missouri the storms have killed 15 people while in Illinois 9 people have been killed by the waters. The last dead body is of a teenager who was found in a pickup truck while a second teenager is still missing.
This time of the year makes it harder to clean the mess and recover after such a disaster. As temperatures drop the floodwater might freeze throughout the cities forcing people to wait a longer time until they can start rebuilding their lives.
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