The Mississippi River was receding on Sunday after intense floods occurred. It was determined that the flood was fueled by more than 10 inches of rain after almost three days.
An enormous recovery process has started in the affected areas, it is expected that it will take several weeks or months to cleanup Illinois and Missouri for the disaster that has left at least 24 deaths.
Approximately 125 structures were affected severely in Alexander County, which is the southernmost point of Illinois. County board Chairman Chalen Tatum said that three families had to protect themselves by staying dry behind sandbags fortifications and private levees.
In Illinois nine people have died in consequence of the flooding, most of them because they entered into flooded areas with their vehicles, also several counties have been declared as disaster areas, according to Patti Thompson, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.
It appears that more floods could occur, so in order to prevent damages to people and structures, officials are constantly monitoring river levels, since the high crests of the Mississippi River moved south toward Mississippi and Louisiana, USA Today reported.
The National Weather Service measured the Mississippi River on Sunday and it was announced that its level would grow by mid-January, even higher than 43 feet, which is the measure it has right now. However it is expected its level won’t grow as much as it did in 2011 when it reached 57 feet.
Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, who issued a state of emergency last week, said it was announced the flood would be just below the historic record flood of 2011. He added that citizens have time to prepare and should begin taking actions now.
Declaring state of emergency is a measure that can help states when they can be most affected by extreme conditions.
“Practically speaking, it means we have the ability to activate the National Guard, we have the ability to access federal funding and we have the ability to have a better coordination throughout state government,” Rhode Island Governor Gia Raimondo said in a 2014 interview with WPRI.
Emergency director from Louisiana, Kevin Davis, remarked in a statement that river flooding is an emergency that requires constant monitoring and adjustment as the situation evolves.
He stressed that the agency stands ready to assist the local partners in any way necessary to get through the event and he urged the public to get a game plan if their home or business could be impacted.
Source: USA Today