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Missouri River Threatens to Flood Iowa Town

Rising waters have already led to floods in other areas

By Evann Gastaldo, Newser Staff

Posted Jun 6, 2011 2:04 PM CDT

(Newser) – The Midwest continues to struggle with flooding, as a small Iowa town evacuated today to escape the rising waters of the Missouri River. The Army Corps of Engineers is building an emergency levee to hold back the waters, which are expected to reach record levels in the next few weeks thanks to melting snow in the Rockies, heavy rain, and release of reservoir water from Montana and the Dakotas.

A Missouri River levee was temporarily breached yesterday, leading to the evacuation order for 600 residents in low-lying parts of Hamburg, Iowa, the New York Times reports. Though the levee was repaired last night with sandbags, the Corps is erecting a back-up in case it fails. Rising water levels in the Missouri River have already led to flooding in parts of Montana, the Dakotas, and Nebraska.

An Iowa National Guard helicopter with a tether line flies above the Missouri River near the Dakota Dunes, South Dakota, residential area, June 3, 2011. (AP Photo/Mercy Air Care-Sioux City, Jerry Mennenga)

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Missouri River Threatens to Flood Iowa Town

Rising waters have already led to floods in other areas

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