Sunday,  April 21, 2013 • Vol. 14--No. 276 • 21 of 33 •  Other Editions

News from the

Rivers crest across Midwest, but rain in forecast
JIM SALTER,Associated Press
JIM SUHR,Associated Press

• CLARKSVILLE, Mo. (AP) -- Those fighting floods in several communities along the Mississippi River were mostly successful Sunday despite the onslaught of water, but an ominous forecast and the growing accumulation of snow in the upper Midwest tempered any feelings of victory.
• The surging Mississippi was at or near crest at several places from the Quad Cities south to near St. Louis -- some reaching 10-12 feet above flood stage. Problems were plentiful: Hundreds of thousands of acres of swamped farmland as planting season approaches; three people died; roads and bridges closed, including sections of major highways like U.S. 61 in Iowa and Missouri and crossings at Quincy, Ill., and Louisiana, Mo.
• The U.S. Coast Guard said 114 barges broke loose near St. Louis on Saturday night, and four hit the Jefferson Barracks Bridge in St. Louis County. The bridge was closed about six hours for inspection but reopened around 8 a.m. Sunday. Most of the runaway barges were corralled but at least 10 sank and two others were unaccounted for, Coast Guard Lt. Colin Fogarty said.
• Two of the confirmed flood-related deaths occurred near the same spot in Indiana; another was in Missouri. In all three cases, vehicles were swept off the road in flash floods. High water could be responsible for two more, both in Illinois, where a decomposed body was found Thursday in an Oak Brook creek and a body was found Saturday in the Mississippi River at Cora. Investigations continue.
• And the danger is far from over, as spots south of St. Louis aren't expected to crest until late this week. Significant flooding is possible in places like Ste. Genevieve, Mo., Cape Girardeau, Mo., and Cairo, Ill.
• Adding to concern is a forecast that calls for heavy rain Monday night and Tuesday throughout much of the Midwest. National Weather Service meteorologist Julie Phillipson said an inch of rain is likely in many places, some places even more. Rain is projected from Wisconsin through Missouri.
• "That's not what we want to see when we have this kind of flooding, that's for sure," Phillipson said.
• Harley-Davidson riders and bicyclists zipped through Grafton, Ill., a tourist town

(Continued on page 22)

© 2013 Groton Daily Independent • To send correspondence, click here.