Soaked Midwest Braces for More Rain, Snow

Related Newser Stories

• Ragtag Levees Leave Midwest Soaking

  Jun 22, 08 10:18 CDT
  As the Midwest battles massive flooding, the New York Times looks at the region's patchwork of homemade levees—which fail to meet federal standards and tend to spring unexpected leaks. Bill Clinton's White House advised a uniform levy system 15 years ago, but the report was read and forgotten. “We told them there were going to be more floods like this,” an engineering professor said. More »

• 19 Levees Now Breached

  Jun 18, 08 1:20 PM CDT
  More levee breaks in Missouri and Illinois today put at 19 the number that have failed along the cresting Mississippi, Reuters reports, further swamping farmland. "They were lower level agricultural levees," said an Army Corps of Engineers spokesman. "We're also watching another seven levees that may overtop in the next couple of days … all agricultural levees." More »

• Levees Crumbling, Midwest Struggles to Stem Tide

  Jun 12, 08 8:45 CDT
  The worst flooding in 15 years has exposed some serious vulnerabilities in the Midwest's aging infrastructure, the Chicago Tribune reports. Levees, bridges, and dams, some a century old, are barely coping with severe storms—while some are collapsing completely. Dikes and levees broke in several states last week after torrential rains, destroying homes and flooding farmland. More »

• Midwest Storms Threaten Worst Flooding in 15 Years

  Jun 11, 08 9:00 CDT
  As climbing rivers knocked out an Iowa bridge and flooded Illinois farms, communities along the Mississippi River are bracing for what could be its biggest overflow in 15 years, the AP reports. The National Weather Service warned of crests of 10 feet above flood stage and higher over the next 2 weeks. “I've been downtown for 37 years and I have never seen anything like this,” said one Cedar Falls, Iowa, resident. More »

• Midwest Flood Death Toll at 16

  Mar 21, 08 4:20 PM CDT
  Storms that caused flooding across the country's midsection have killed 16 people, and bad weather remains a threat, the AP reports. A snowstorm battering Minnesota and Illinois grounded hundreds of flights, and forecasters predicted a 9-inch total. Thousands were forced into shelters as rivers continued to swell; in many states, floodwaters might not crest until the weekend. More »