ST. LOUIS, Missouri (CNN) -- The Mississippi River claimed new tracts of farmland overnight north of St. Louis, Missouri, as officials warned the swollen river could breach four or five more levees Thursday around the Gateway City.
About 11 levees have been breached in the St. Louis area since the flooding began, Officer Alan Dooly of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-St. Louis District said.
St. Louis' woes add to the growing number of levee breaches that have been occurring from Iowa to Missouri since the flooding started last week, according to the Corps of Engineers.
President Bush arrived in Iowa on Thursday, where he plans to tour Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, where some residents are returning to homes as floodwater ebbs and moves downstream.
Overnight, the Mississippi River cut a 150-foot breach through a levee in Winfield, Missouri, sending floodwaters racing toward a secondary levee. Watch how the river cut through the levee »
Emergency officials issued evacuation orders for residents east of Winfield, according to Andy Binder, a spokesman for Lincoln County.
Winfield Mayor Harry Stonebreaker said Thursday he is confident the second levee will hold. At least 100 people had been sandbagging for hours, he said.
"I think our effort will pay [off] -- of course, it may not."
Forecasters predicted high crests over the next six days from Canton, Missouri, to Chester, Illinois.
Waters spilled over two Mississippi River levees Wednesday, pouring into west-central Illinois, covering fertile farmland there and pushing residents from their homes, officials said.
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's office reported the river breached one levee in two places, pouring water into Hancock and Adams counties. The counties border each other along the Mississippi.
He has deployed 1,100 National Guard troops to assist with sandbagging and other efforts to stabilize levees, working alongside 300 prisoners and hundreds of residents.
"I have never seen anything at the magnitude I've seen so far, and we're being told by the experts that the challenges are going to get more severe,"said Blagojevich, who has declared disasters in 21 counties. See what causes a levee to fail »
Nearly 25,000 acres of corn and bean farms were affected by the flooding, according to the Adams County Emergency Management Agency.
The levees in Adams County are about 45 miles south of another levee that breached Tuesday morning near the small village of Gulfport, Illinois, prompting about 400 people to leave their homes in Henderson County. The water flooded acres of land, shut down a train station and ruined crops.
"It is a total loss," said farmer Jim Olsen, whose crop of beans and corn was ruined. He said he would have no farm this year.
The two spillovers Wednesday bring the number of levees between Iowa and Missouri that have overflowed to 20, according to the Corps of Engineers. Watch a tour of underwater farms »
In Louisiana, Missouri, a town of about 3,900, about 50 blocks were underwater, but the mayor said he was confident residents would persevere.
"There's one thing about Midwesterners," Mayor Don Giltner said. "We're resilient as hell."
The river is expected to crest in Louisiana on Saturday about 13 feet above flood stage. Sandbagging efforts would continue until sometime Thursday. Watch how flooding upstream is affecting St. Louis »
"We knew it was coming, we knew when it was going to get here, and we knew when it was going to leave us," Giltner said. "We look around and realize that we're not in as bad shape as others, and we're grateful for that."
Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt, who toured the Hannibal and Canton areas Wednesday, has called up about 700 National Guard members in his state to help sandbag, monitor levees and secure areas.
Canton Mayor Joe Clark said he expects the town's earthen levee to hold against the crest on Thursday night of about 27.2 feet -- 13.2 feet above flood stage -- noting that the river stage on Wednesday had been about a half foot higher.
Downstream, in Clarksville, Missouri, water poured into the town's riverfront street. Nearby businesses had been sandbagged and pumps were keeping the water at bay and "working fairly well," said Katie Rooney, an AmeriCorps member who was helping with coordination efforts. Additional walls would be erected Thursday and Friday, she said.
Lt. Gen. Robert Van Antwerp, the chief of the Corps of Engineers, said Wednesday that water had inundated 14 "main river systems" in the Midwest.
Two dozen people have been killed in the flooding and 148 have been injured, Federal Emergency Management Agency Director David Paulison said Wednesday. "Probably 35,000 or 40,000" people have left their homes, he said.
However, despite the numbers of evacuees, "we've been staying at right around 600 people" in shelters -- which he attributed to the resourcefulness of people who are finding places to stay. More than 28,000 people have registered for FEMA assistance, he said.
Mississippi River threatens more Midwest levees - CNN.com
Best of wishes to all those caught up in mother nature's rath.
Have a good one!
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