Homes Destroyed or Severely Damaged, people drowned as flooding persists

Severe precipitation events are increasing as global warming has caused an increase in the amount of water in the atmosphere. When this air cools, the result is heavier precipitation. I note that most or all of the states affected voted for climate denialist Trump, who is working to block action against global warming.

https://weather.com/news/news/flooding-midwest-south

By Pam Wright
May 4 2017

Approximately 50 homes have been destroyed or are severely damaged in Randolph County, Arkansas, as historic flooding continues to plague the Midwest and South.

Randolph County Judge David Jansen told the Associated Press on Thursday there were nine breaches Wednesday morning on the Black River levee near Pocahontas. Three of those were major. Jansen says the biggest concern now is flood water that is headed toward communities in Lawrence County.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Thursday he believes northeast Arkansas counties affected by the recent severe weather will receive a federal disaster declaration.

Meanwhile, in Sulphur, firefighters used buses to evacuate 76 residents after flooding threatened a nursing home.

The situation in Louisiana is just as dire as water pours over river banks. A school bus attempting to pass a flooded road got stuck and nearly tipped over near the town of Iowa. Students and the driver were rescued uninjured.

Earlier this week, storms and heavy rainfall that began over the weekend triggered flooding that forced the closure of hundreds of roads in Missouri, Arkansas and Illinois and shut down a major waterway.

The floods have been blamed for at least nine deaths, according to the Associated Press. An 18-month-old Arkansas girl is missing after being swept away by floodwaters and is presumed dead.

"River flooding will last well into next week, as the flood crest pushes down the Mississippi River and Arkansas' White River," said weather.com senior meteorologist Jon Erdman. "A crest near the January 2016 record is possible at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, this weekend."

According to the Missouri Levee & Drainage District Association, seven levees on the Missouri river have been overtopped by water and seven more have been breached.

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So far, five people have died in Missouri flooding, and several towns have sustained damage. Along the Meramec River, in suburban St. Louis, thousands of sandbags are protecting homes and businesses in Eureka, and authorities fear a breach on a levee in nearby Valley Park, reports the Associated Press.

More than 270 roads remain closed across the state Wednesday, Missouri transportation officials said.

Some 200 homes have been impacted by the floods and another 1,500 could be in danger, St. Louis County's emergency management chief told the AP.

So far, nine flooding records have been broken and several more are expected in the coming days, according to weather.com senior meteorologist Jon Erdman.

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As the massive amounts of water move downstream, significant flooding is expected by the end of the week on the Mississippi River south of St. Louis, including the towns of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and Cairo, Illinois. Several points on the Missouri River in eastern Missouri are expected to rise 10 feet above flood stage or higher by the end of the week, reports the AP.

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Flooding continues to threaten much of central and southern Illinois.

Two southern Illinois counties, Jackson and Franklin, declared disasters due to flood damage. A Mississippi River bridge at Chester, Illinois, will close at noon Thursday, the AP said.

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tags: extreme weather