Flood

In this aerial photo, floodwater covers Interstate 55, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015, in Arnold, Mo.  Surging Midwestern rivers forced hundreds of evacuations, threatened dozens of levees and brought transportation by car, boat or train to a virtual standstill Thursday in the St. Louis area.  (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Dozens of counties in Missouri, Arkansas and Illinois declared disaster areas

Evacuations around St Louis as river levels set to rise again on Thursday

Floods swamp Missouri, Illinois; nine million people in risk areas

reuters.com - by Mary Wisniewski - December 31, 2015

Record flooding from rain-swollen rivers has washed out hundreds of structures in Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma, forcing thousands to flee their homes, and 9.3 million Americans still face flood warnings.

At least 28 people have died in the U.S. Midwest's extreme weather since the weekend, mostly from driving into flooded areas after storms dropped up to 12 inches (30 cm) of rain, officials said.

The days of downpours have pushed the mighty Mississippi and its tributaries to record highs or levels not seen in decades, the National Weather Service and local officials said.

The Lake Borgne Surge Barrier, which rises 26 feet above sea level, is designed to be overtopped by storm surges created by a hurricane with a 1 percent chance of occurring in any year, the so-called 100-year storm, hits the area. The overtopping water will be stored in the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and the Industrial Canal in New Orleans. Larger storms will cause even more water to overtop the wall.

nola.com - by Mark Schleifstein - August 18, 2015

The rebuilt New Orleans area hurricane levee system remains inadequate to protect the heart of the nation's 45^th largest metropolitan area from another Hurricane Katrina or larger storm, nationally-known engineers and scientists said almost a decade after the 2005 storm.

People canoe through floodwaters in Houston on Saturday, May 30.  Torrential rains have given Texas the wettest month on record, according to Texas A&M climatologists.  In all, 37.3 trillion gallons of water have fallen over the state in May, the National Weather Service said.

cnn.com - by Kevin Conlon - June 14, 2015

(CNN) For portions of rain-battered Texas, the warnings issued by the National Weather Service on Sunday must have seemed like a cruel joke: a tropical storm that is potentially forming in the Gulf of Mexico is headed straight for them.

"Through Wednesday, widespread rainfall totals could easily average 6 to 8 inches with some amounts exceeding 10 inches," read the ominous forecast issued by the weather service office in Houston. "This will obviously lead to a dangerous flood situation."

Local officials sounded even more alarmed, calling the event "possibly catastrophic."

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Image: Vehicles negotiate heavily flooded streets as rain falls, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014, in Miami Beach, Fla. Certain neighborhoods regularly experience flooding during heavy rains and extreme high tides. New storm water pumps are currently being installed along the bay front in Miami Beach. National and regional climate change risk assessments have used the flooding to illustrate the Miami area's vulnerability to rising sea levels. ASSOCIATED PRESS

huffingtonpost.com - October 3rd, 2014 - Zachary Fagenson and David Adams