Published: December 29,2015
Residents in several areas have already been pushed out of their homes by rising floodwaters, and the impacts are only expected to worsen in the coming days. The floods have already been responsible for at least 20 deaths in the Plains and Midwest.
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Up and down the Mississippi River, one of several rivers rising rapidly across the region, crews worked quickly to prepare sandbags and check levees to ensure they were ready to lessen the effects of the flooding, however possible.
"This is probably one of the earliest (times) we've seen flooding on the Mississippi River," said Marty Pope, senior service hydrologist with the National Weather Service office in Jackson, Mississippi, during a Monday news conference with Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant.
Here's what we know about the flooding impacts across several states.
Missouri
The body of a fifth international soldier that has been missing since Saturday evening was recovered Tuesday in north Pulaski County, says Pulaski County Sheriff Ron Long.He was with four other soldiers when their vehicle was swept off a Pulaski County road Saturday night. The bodies of four of the men were recovered earlier in the week; officials have yet to release the identities of any of the men or where they are from.
Following a massive search, the fifth soldier's body was discoverd at 11:30 AM in Tavern Creek, after it was spotted by a Missouri State Highway Patrol helicopter. The body had been swept approximately six miles downstream from where the initial incident took place on U-Highway on Saturday.
According to Long, two others were killed in the county by flooding on Saturday night. Long has identified the two victims of the first incident as 53-year-old Ron Gray, and 50-year-old Sandra Tilley, both of Dixon.
In Lawrence County, a 28-year-old male was swept off of Farm Road 1130 due to flash flooding. The flooding occurred along a small tributary of Browning Hollow, which is a tributary of Spring River.
Tuesday morning, authorities announced a stretch of Interstate 44 was closed west of Rolla in Phelps County due to the flooding, the Associated Press reported.
Near St. Louis, flooding on the Meramec River shut down a wastewater plant, causing sewage to spill directly into nearby rivers and streams, the AP also said. The public was asked to avoid contact with floodwater in the area, and the Metropolitan Sewer District of St. Louis said Tuesday it wasn't clear when the plant would start operating again.
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The two Greene County victims have been identified as Steven Welton, 42, and Edward Kammerer, 60. Welton drowned in a creek when his car was washed off the road on Saturday, the Missouri Highway Patrol told the AP. Kammerer, a tow truck driver, was electrocuted by a downed power line while he attempted to retrieve a vehicle that had gone off the roadway, Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management executive director Chet Hunter said.
Kevin Lee, 53, was killed in Douglas County Sunday night when he was swept away while attempting to bring cattle to higher ground, the NWS reported.
There has been one storm-related death in Dallas County, according to officials, and another death was confirmed Tuesday in Lawrence County.
Nixon declared a State of Emergency on Sunday, according to KSDK News. He was expected to visit St. Charles County on Tuesday to tour the flooded areas.
"Widespread flooding and continued rainfall are causing very dangerous conditions across much of central and southern Missouri," said Nixon in a release. “Multiple fatalities due to flash flooding have already been reported, and I urge Missourians in flood-affected areas to stay alert, avoid travel if possible and never drive into a flooded roadway. With more heavy rain expected tonight and tomorrow, state emergency management personnel will be working around the clock to keep Missourians safe.”
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Wow. These are some of the pictures of the flooding coming out of Union MO. #flood2015 #mowx
More than 3 inches of rain fell in many areas, and the NWS reported flooded roads in parts of Franklin County. The city of Eureka, along I-44 in St. Louis County, also experienced flooding.
With 11.15 inches reported by noon Monday, the NWS said Springfield has clinched its wettest December on record, breaking a 120-year-old record.
Illinois
Flooding worsened Tuesday in the town of Alton, as water levels continued to rise along the Mississippi River.
Downtown Alton IL this morning. Black line is Flood of 73, red is Flood of 93. #alton #westalton #mississippiriver
Marion County Coroner Troy Cannon says the swift moving East Fork Creek carried the car off a low-water bridge about 7:30 p.m. Saturday near the town of Patoka, about 60 miles east of St. Louis.
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The car became lodged 150 to 200 feet downstream, but shortly after the first firefighter arrived on the scene it was dislodged and sank.
Cannon says dive teams recovered the car from the water several hours later and the bodies of the victims from the car.
The names of the victims were not immediately released. Cannon says the vehicle was traveling from Kentucky to Minnesota.
Arkansas
The Pope County Sheriff's Office said a person was killed by flooding over the weekend, the first death from Goliath in Arkansas. The victim was identified as James Evan LaRue, from Dover.Kansas
Hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes as floodwaters invaded southeastern Kansas.Cherokee County Sheriff David Groves told the AP crews had performed 22 water rescues since the weekend, but no major injuries were reported. They've evacuated about 200 homes in the county, he also said, including about 80 in the town of Baxter Springs, which was damaged by a tornado in April 2014, the AP added.
In that town, several homes were almost completely submerged, with water up to their roofs, Groves said.
"It's difficult to see that, and it's going to be difficult for residents to cope with that and go forward," he told the AP.
Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Medical Examiner's Office annpounced Tuesday evening that two deaths in eastern Oklahoma are likely related to the flooding brought by the warn side of Winter Storm Goliath. According to OME spokesman Eddie Johnson, the likely drowning victims are 54-year-old Melissa Phillips of Bixby, and 36-year-old Darrell Sennett, whose pickup truck was swept off of a Pittsburg County road.The National Weather Service said roads and residences are at risk of flooding through Wednesday after dam operators reported the floodgates would increase releases, causing additional rises in water level downstream on the Grand Neosho River east of Choteau downstream to the headwater of Fort Gibson Lake.
Significant road closures continued across eastern Oklahoma Tuesday evening due to flooding, says the Oklahoma Department of Transporation. These conditions have been changing rapidly and some closures may continue through the week while water recedes.
A downed power line along SH-37 in Caddo County also has hampered snow and ice removal in this area.
Southeast of Tulsa, the Illinois River near Tahlequahrose well above its banks on Monday morning, flooding everything nearby.
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"Treat this with respect. This is a dangerous event, this is a potentially life-threatening event and we want to make sure that people that takes this as seriously as it really is," Scott Pettus, Cherokee County emergency manager, told KTUL.com.
Flooding was expected to cause major problems across the state as the storm system dumped huge rainfall totals, and officials warned residents to stay home and off roadways, the Tulsa World reported. Authorities reported more accidents than usual, which they blamed on the weather, the report added. Several interstates and highways were closed by high water levels, as well.
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