Mississippi floodwaters swamp towns, farms

Source: Agencies  |   2008-6-22  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

THE Mississippi River's crest rolled downstream on Friday, submerging small towns and some of the US Midwest's most fertile farm fields with a relentless flow as people and industries struggled to cope with the effects of the worst flooding in 15 years.

The flooding and violent storms blamed for 24 deaths since late May have generated damage worth billions of dollars and are expected to aggravate rising food prices.

Hannibal, Missouri, the boyhood home of author Mark Twain, was dry behind its earth levee and flood wall but other towns on both sides of the engorged river were not so lucky.

"It's starting to feel like the worst of the crisis has passed," said Farm Bureau official Blake Roderick in Hannibal.

The Mississippi River breached or overtopped more than two dozen levees over the past week, including two reported as overtopped on Friday. At least a half-dozen others were still seen at risk as it crests above St Louis, Missouri, through to today.

Levee worries

Most of the levees protect huge areas of prime crop land, including thousands of hectares in Iowa and Illinois ? which together produce about one third of the US corn and soybean crops ? that have been lost to flooding. That has sent shock waves through commodity markets and raised inflation concerns.

Don Rust, a farmer from Ursa, Illinois, estimated cropland 21 kilometers long and 9.7km wide was flooded in his area.

"It will take three to four months for this water to recede," Rust said, looking over flooded fields. "This is a lot of good land that will be useless until next year."

"We're still concerned that levees will be overtopped," said Ron Fournier, a spokesman for US Army Corps of Engineers. "If the sandbags don't hold, there's going to be water in agricultural fields and residences."

Floodwaters have swamped farms and homes north of St. Louis, though the city itself appeared to be safe. The river widens there and can absorb much greater volume of water.