Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Missouri Floods Kill 13, Prompt Mass Evacuations

Rising flood waters have swept away vehicles and practically submerged whole buildings after breaching a levee north of St. Louis.

Two cars are submerged in floodwater in a park in Kimmswick, Mo.

Jeff Roberson / AP

Widespread flooding on Tuesday continued to ravage Missouri, where the death toll has risen to 13 as authorities tried to evacuate whole towns ahead of advancing waters.

Gov. Jay Nixon at a news conference said most of the deaths involved those who were in vehicles that drove onto flooded roadways, where swift currents can prove deadly. He made the announcement in Perry County, where the Mississippi River is expected to a make a record crest in the coming days.

Nixon also declared a state of emergency as officials struggled with the rising flood waters after a storm system dropped more than half-foot of rain.

Meanwhile, a levee just north of the St. Louis-area was breached, prompting officials there to order everyone out of the town of West Alton, which sits near where the Missouri and Mississippi rivers converge.

The rising flood waters are the result of a massive weekend storm moving up from the southwest that were also blamed for at least three deaths in Oklahoma, state health officials reported.


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