- Dozens of towns and villages lay abandoned after another day of historic flooding in Missouri and Illinois
- Floodwater swamped entire settlements and forced widespread evacuations in disaster that has killed at least 20
- Five foreign soldiers training in US were killed when their car was swept off a rural road and into rampaging water
- Crisis could rival 1993 when one of 'most damaging natural disasters to ever hit US' killed 50 and left $15bn damage
- Swollen rivers and streams were pushed to almost unheard of heights and up to 17million people are under threat
PUBLISHED: 03:12 GMT, 31 December 2015 | UPDATED: 10:57 GMT, 31 December 2015
Almost entirely submerged, dozens of towns and villages across Missouri and Illinois lay abandoned after another day of historic flooding.
These shocking photographs show how floodwater has swamped settlements and forced widespread evacuations in a crisis that had claimed more than 20 lives - and officials warn there are more deaths to come.
Among those dead were five foreign soldiers - four from north Africa and one from Malaysia - training at a military base in Missouri. The car they were travelling in was swept off a rural highway on Saturday night by rampaging water.
Up to 17million people and thousands of homes in Illinois and Missouri are under threat from the floods, with swollen rivers and streams pushed to virtually unheard of heights.
Inmates were transferred out of Illinois state prison as it was threatened by flooding, Missouri's governor activated the National Guard to help divert traffic from submerged roads, and torrential rain caused sewage to flow unfiltered into waterways.
Forecasters warned that the devastation could rival that seen in the area in 1993, when severe flooding left 50 dead and caused $15billion in damage in what officials said was one of the 'most damaging natural disasters to ever hit the United States'.
Almost entirely submerged, dozens of towns and villages across Missouri and Illinois lay abandoned after another day of historic flooding
Floodwater has swamped settlements and forced widespread evacuations in a crisis that had claimed more than 20 lives. Pictured, homes and businesses in Pacific, Missouri
Up to 17million people and thousands of homes in Illinois and Missouri are under threat from the floods, with swollen rivers and streams pushed to virtually unheard of heights. Pictured, the Toad Suck Ferry Lock and Dam, in Conway, Arkansas, floods
Missouri's governor activated the National Guard to help divert traffic from submerged roads, and torrential rain caused sewage to flow unfiltered into waterways. Pictured, Pacific, Missouri
Forecasters warned that the devastation could rival that seen in the area in 1993, when severe flooding left 50 dead and caused $15billion in damage
Volunteers create a wall of sandbags to protect homes from flooding after several days of heavy rain in Arnold, Missouri
A wall of sandbags and series of pumps are set up to create a barricade to prevent the rising water from flooding a home, following several days of heavy rain, in Arnold, Missouri
A view of floodwaters after several days of heavy rain led to flooding in Arnold, Missouri, where water levels are nearing historic highs
AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said flooding in some sections of the Mississippi River was at its worst level since record began, with major rivers in flood-prone areas of Missouri and Illinois creeping toward milestone or near-record crests.
'All of us remember the devastating impact of the Great Flood of 1993, and that's why we have been working proactively with our local and federal partners to prepare and respond,' Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said.
Forecasters said the Mississippi River in St. Louis is expected to crest Thursday evening at 13ft above flood stage - six feet below the 1993 record.
In Chester, Illinois, about 60 miles south of St Louis, the river is expected to reach a near-record 20ft above flood stage on New Year's Day.
Record crests of the Meramec River near the flood-prone St. Louis suburbs of Arnold and Valley Park were expected Thursday or early Friday.
At least 20 deaths over several days in Missouri and Illinois were blamed on flooding, mostly involving vehicles that drove onto swamped roadways.
This includes five soldiers who were returning to Fort Leonard Wood in south west Missouri after a day shopping when they were swept off a road and drowned.
All five soldiers were attending officer education at the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence, a program that brings troops from other countries to the installation to study engineering, military policing and chemical defense.
The victims were identified Wednesday as Egyptian Maj. Mohammad Hassan Ibrahim, 32; Jordanian Maj. Akram Abu Al-rub, 38; Algerian Capt. Ahmed Moussouni, 32; Egyptian Capt. Ahmed Abdelghani, 29; and Malaysian Capt. Hasman Hussin, 33.
The bodies of four of the trainees were recovered Sunday and the fifth was found Tuesday.
A witness reported seeing the car go off the road about 8:30pm Saturday and quickly lost sight of the car floating away. Most of the flood deaths have happened in Missouri/
The latest victim was found in Crawford County. Missouri Department of Public Safety spokesman Mike O'Connell says the victim died when a vehicle was swept off a roadway. The name of the victim wasn't immediately released. All but one of the Missouri victims have died when their vehicles drove into flooded roadways.
Two of these deaths include a man and woman whose bodies were found in floodwaters Tuesday morning, about six miles east of Edinburg, Illinois.
Officials say it appears they were trying to cross a flooded area. Police used cellphone location services to find them, but their minivan is still missing.
The Christian County Coroner's Office told the Springfield State Journal-Register that both died of drowning.
A storm system that triggered deadly tornadoes and flooding in the U.S. Midwest and Southwest pushed north on Tuesday, bringing snow and ice from Iowa to Massachusetts and another day of tangled air travel
Floodwater from the Bourbeuse River surrounds a McDonald's restaurant, Tuesday, in Union, Missouri
Mark Diehl, left, and Dale Atchley move items to higher ground at the Fenton Feed Mill on Tuesday in Fenton, Missouri. Torrential rains over the past several days pushed rivers and streams to virtually unheard-of heights in parts of Missouri and Illinois
Some 17 million people live in the areas currently under flood warning in the Heartland this week. While the rain is over, the Mississippi River continues to rise
The unusually heavy rains have been blamed on El Nino - a weather system that happens every two to seven years
A view of North Church Street where several homes near Flat Creek were flooded on Tuesday, December 29, 2015 in Union, Missouri
Submerged roads and houses are seen after several days of heavy rain led to flooding, in an aerial view over Union, Missouri, on Tuesday
Aanother view of partially-submerged Union, Missouri on Tuesday - a small town on the Bourbeuse River, a tribute of the Meramec River
Water world: Several homes are seen underwater in this aerial picture taken over Union, Missouri onTuesday
Missouri Governor confirms 13 poeple killed in flooding
Five foreign soldiers at Fort Leonard Wood in south west Missouri drowned when their car was swept off a dark, rural highway.
The soldiers, who were training in the U.S., were returning to the base from a shopping trip at about 8.30pm Saturday night when their car hit the water.
A witness reported seeing the car go off the road and quickly lost sight of the vehicle floating away.
The victims were identified Wednesday as Egyptian Maj. Mohammad Hassan Ibrahim, 32; Jordanian Maj. Akram Abu Al-rub, 38; Algerian Capt. Ahmed Moussouni, 32; Egyptian Capt. Ahmed Abdelghani, 29; and Malaysian Capt. Hasman Hussin, 33.
The bodies of four of the trainees were recovered Sunday and the fifth was found Tuesday.
They were studying engineering, military policing and chemical defense as part of a program that trains troops from other countries, and were on holiday leave on Saturday.
'Some were recovered in the car and outside it,' Pulaski County Sheriff Ron Long told the St Louis Post-Dispatch. 'The last one was way downstream.'
He added: 'It's just a very dark and rural highway, and I am sure they had no idea of what was ahead of them until they got into the water. Most of the time, these roads are traveled by people who know what lies ahead. They don't venture off into the water.'
That number of dead may rise, since there are several missing people in the region - including a country singer.
Craig Strickland went missing after going duck hunting with his friend, Chase Morland, on Oklahoma's Kaw Lake. Search teams found the pair's capsized boat Sunday along with Strickland's dog, which was alive. Morland's body was recovered Monday.
Strickland is the lead singer of the Arkansas-based country-rock band Backroad Anthem. The band had been scheduled to perform Thursday in Little Rock, Arkansas, but that show has been canceled.
Crews searched Monday and Tuesday for Strickland but suspended the search at nightfall. The search picked back up Wednesday morning on Kaw Lake, which is 38 miles long and is near Oklahoma's border with Kansas.
And in southwest Missouri, volunteers continue to search for a missing motorist who disappeared Saturday night while crossing a bridge over the Pomme de Terre River in Polk County. Guardrails kept the man's vehicle from washing away.
The Mississippi River on Tuesday spilled over the top of the levee at West Alton, Missouri, about 20 miles north of St Louis. Mayor William Richter ordered any of the town's approximate 520 residents who had not already evacuated to get out of harm's way.
Across the river, in Alton, Illinois, dozens of volunteers helped place sandbags ahead of where water is expected to rise.
The mayor of the St Louis suburb of Valley Park is ordering mandatory evacuations for a portion of the town of about 6,900 residents as the fast-rising Meramec River threatens a levee.
Mayor Michael Pennise ordered the evacuations early Wednesday. Many people had already left that area but those who didn't were told to evacuate by 10am Wednesday.
In southwestern Missouri, residents of about 150 duplexes and homes in the tourist town of Branson had to evacuate Wednesday when flooding from a manmade lake threatened. But the shopping district along the lake was still open, Fire Chief Ted Martin said, adding, 'it has been packed with people, and I don't know where all of them have come from.'
Martin says Lake Taneycomo is at fault and that there have been no injuries from the flooding, which has also closed three parks and a city-owned lakeside campground.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is easing water levels at a record flow around the Table Rock Lake dam, which feeds into man-made Lake Taneycomo and is contributing to the flooding.
Leaders in the central Illinois village of Kincaid say flood waters have significantly damaged 30 to 40 homes.
Kincaid Village Foreman Pat Durbin tells the Taylorville Daily Breeze-Courier that most of the water in the area is more than eight feet deep.
Flood waters from the nearby Meramec River fill the traffic lanes of I-44 and Missouri Route 141 near Valley Park, Missouri, just west of Saint Louis, Wednesday
Historic rainfall across the American Midwest have pushed rivers across Missouri and adjoining states to record levels
Twigs and debris clog up the flood waters on Interstate 44 near Valley Park, Missouri on Wednesday. The interstate was closed Wednesday morning in both directions
West Alton Fire Department Lt. T.J. Ehmler, 30, helps retrieve a partially submerged car in floodwater on Highway 94 in St Louis on Tuesday
The National Weather Service says the three-day rain total in Kincaid was more than six inches as of Wednesday morning.
Durbin says most residents in the affected area left and he isn't aware of any injuries. He says authorities went door-to-door and 'got everybody out that we could.'
Christian County Emergency Management Agency Director Mike Crews says an American Red Cross temporary shelter is available at a high school. Kincaid is about 25 miles southeast of Springfield and near the South Fork River.
Mayor Brant Walker said in a statement that 'even with our best efforts of sandbagging and pumping,' flooding was expected at least in the basements of the downtown business district.
In another eastern Missouri town, Union, water from the normally docile Bourbeuse River reached the roofs of a McDonald's, QuikTrip and several other businesses. The river reached an all-time high Tuesday, nearly 20 feet above flood stage.
Interstate 44 was closed in both directions near the central Missouri town of Rolla for some time Wednesday morning, but traffic began moving in the eastbound lanes later in the day. westbound traffic remains closed.
Transportation officials are urging motorists to use Interstate 70 for east-west travel.
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard to assist with security in evacuated areas and to help keep road closure sites clear.
Also, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has issued a disaster proclamation for seven counties.
Rauner issued the disaster proclamation Tuesday afternoon for Calhoun, Jackson, Jersey, Madison, Monroe, Randolph and St Clair counties. The National Weather Service says those counties saw about 7 inches of rain December 23-28.
In southern Illinois, the Department of Corrections transferred an unspecified number of inmates from a state prison to other locations because of flooding risks. The facility houses nearly 3,700 inmates.
Residents work overnight to protect homes from flooding
The Bourbeuse has over taken the local roads in this aerial view of Union, Missouri on Tuesday
Train traffic on this bridge has come to a halt. A storm system that triggered deadly tornadoes and flooding in the U.S. Midwest and Southwest pushed north on Tuesday, bringing snow and ice from Iowa to Massachusetts and another day of tangled air travel
Submerged roads and houses are seen after several days of heavy rain led to flooding, in an aerial view over Valley Park, Missouri December 29, 2015
In St Louis, more than 500 volunteers turned out in blustery, cold conditions to fill sandbags where a flooded waterway threatened hundreds of homes.
The city later trucked 1,500 of the sandbags south to a nearby county to fortify a wastewater treatment plant threatened by the swollen Big River.
The Mississippi River is expected to reach nearly 15 feet above flood stage on Thursday at St Louis, which would be the second-worst flood on record, behind only the devastating 1993 flood.
Alderman Larry Arnowitz said up to 500 homes could be threatened if the River Des Peres - a man-made storm sewer channel that flows through south St Louis into the Mississippi River - rises much more than projected. But he was confident that with no rain in the forecast for the next several days, and with the help of the thousands of sandbags, everything would be OK.
Volunteers form a human chain as they help load sandbags Tuesday, December 29, 2015, in St Louis. Flooding across Missouri has forced the closure of hundreds of roads and threatened homes
Jason Fitzgibbons, center, helps fill sandbags with other volunteers Tuesday, December 29, 2015, in St Louis. Flooding across Missouri has forced the closure of hundreds of roads and threatened homes
Volunteers form a human chain as they help load sandbags Tuesday, December 29, 2015, in St Louis. Flooding across Missouri has forced the closure of hundreds of roads and threatened homes
Floodwater from the Bourbeuse River surrounds businesses, Tuesday, December 29, 2015, in Union, Mo. Flooding across Missouri has forced the closure of hundreds of roads and threatened homes
A Christmas decoration hangs on the door of a home surrounded by floodwater from the Bourbeuse River, Tuesday, December 29, 2015, in Union, Mo. Flooding across Missouri has forced the closure of hundreds of roads and threatened homes
Lisa Muxo, 45, said her basement was already taking on water.
'These are our neighbors, our friends,' said Muxo, who brought her teenage son and three of his friends to help sandbag. 'We need to help each other.'
The high water was blamed on the shutdown of a wastewater treatment plant on Monday just south of St Louis, causing sewage to go directly into nearby rivers and streams. The Metropolitan Sewer District of St Louis said the Fenton wastewater treatment plant, which is designed for 6.75 million gallons per day of flow, was treating nearly 24 million gallons per day at the time of the malfunction.
One of the two wastewater plants in Springfield, Missouri, also failed, allowing partially treated sewage to flow into a river.
The U.S. Coast Guard closed a 5-mile portion of the Mississippi River near St Louis due to flooding. Capt. Martin Malloy cited high water levels and fast currents in the river, which is a vital transportation hub for barges that carry agricultural products and other goods.
In central and southern Illinois, flood warnings were in effect two days after a winter storm brought sleet and icy rain. Major flooding was occurring along the Kankakee, Illinois, Sangamon and Vermilion rivers.
In Granite City, Illinois, about 30 residents of a flooded trailer park idled in a Red Cross emergency shelter in a church basement. The park's property manager told Shirley Clark, 56, and other displaced residents that it could be another 10 to 12 days before they're able to return to their homes.
'We need help over here,' said Clark, a diabetic who said she left behind her insulin supply. 'We're just holding on.'
The Midwest wasn't alone. Heavy rain continued in parts of the South, such as Georgia and eastern Alabama, which has in parts seen more than 14 inches of rain since December 21.
The severe weather in the region has been blamed on El Nino by experts. El Nino happens every two to seven years and causes more intense and frequent storms, and is also the reason why the Pacific Northwest has been seeing so much rain and the Northeast has had an unusually warm star to Winter. As seen in the Heartland though, El Nino can also have disastrous - and expensive - effects.
'Globally speaking, this is something that typically has somewhere around $30-$45 billion of damage that at least occurred the last go-around in 1997 into 1998,' CNN meteorologist Pedram Javaheri said.
People stand on a hill to get a better look at floodwater from the Bourbeuse River on Tuesday in Union, Missouri
People move some of their belongings to higher ground on Tuesday as the Meramec River continues to rise next to the Gravois Road bridge in old town Fenton, Missouri
This photo shows a northern view of 1st Street where homes were flooded on Tuesday in Pacific, Missouri
Read more:Rivergages.com: Providing River Gage Data for Rivers, Streams and Tributaries
Missouri flooding: Mississippi River could set record - CNN.com
Floodwaters continue to threaten Springfield area; 2 drown in Christian County - News - The State Journal-Register - Springfield, IL
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Flooding kills at least 20 in Missouri, Illinois as Mississippi River levels rival records
Fifth international trainee at Ft. Leonard Wood found dead : News
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3379715/Shocking-aerial-photographs-devastation-caused-historic-Mississippi-flooding-killed-20-officials-warn-deaths-come.html#ixzz3w05fgA7I
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