More flooding worries, 26 levees in danger, and what's in the water

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government predicts that 27 levees could potentially overflow along the Mississippi River if the weather forecast is on the mark and a massive sandbagging effort fails to raise the level of the levees, according to a map obtained Monday by The Associated Press.

Officials are placing millions of sandbags on top of the levees along the river in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri to prevent overflowing. There is no way to predict whether these levees will break, said Ron Fournier, a spokesman with the Army Corps of Engineers in Iowa. "That's a crystal ball that nobody has," he told the AP.

The levees in New Orleans broke during Hurricane Katrina, causing catastrophic flooding. Record-breaking storms and flooding across six states this month continue to force thousands of people to evacuate and seek shelter. Since June 6, there have been 22 deaths, 85 injuries and more than 26,000 power outages because of the storms and flooding, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The disasters are not as catastrophic as 2005's Hurricane Katrina, when at least 1,600 people were killed.

The Army Corps of Engineers looks at the latest weather forecasts and creates "battle maps" for levee engineers that show how many levees could overflow without what Fournier calls a "big flood fight effort." The flood fight entails placing millions of sandbags on top of the levees to make them higher. The information changes constantly. As of Monday evening, 27 levees have a potential of overflowing — 20 of those a "high potential" — according to the Army Corps. Six levees have already overflowed in the past three days: two in Iowa and four in Missouri....(more)

Flood victims worry: What's in the water?

By ALLEN G. BREED OAKVILLE, Iowa (AP) — The floodwaters that deluged much of Iowa have done more than knock out drinking water and destroy homes. They have also spread a noxious brew of sewage, farm chemicals and fuel that could sicken anyone who wades in. On Monday, Bob Lanz used a 22-foot aluminum flatboat to navigate through downtown Oakville, where water reeked of pig feces and diesel fuel. "You can hardly stand it," Lanz said as he surveyed what remained of his family's hog farm. "It's strong."

LeRoy Lippert, chairman of emergency management and homeland security in nearby Des Moines County, warned people to avoid the floodwaters: "If you drink this water and live, tell me about it. You have no idea. It is very, very wise to stay out of it. It's as dangerous as anything." In addition to the poison in the water, there are mosquitoes — millions of them spawning in acres of standing water.
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"You can see the oil on top of the water," she said. "But when you're trying to salvage what little you have left, you do it. I don't know what else to do." In downtown Cedar Rapids on Monday, all manner of refuse could be seen floating down the Cedar River — 55-gallon drums labeled "corrosive," propane tanks, wooden fences and railroad ties. Dead birds and fish sat on the city's 1st Avenue Bridge.

A few blocks away, a paint store stood with its windows blown out. A line indicating the high-water mark could be seen about eight feet above the floor. At the gas station next door, strong currents had knocked over two pumps. Also mixed into the floodwaters are pesticides, herbicides and fertilizer from Iowa's vast stretches of farmland....(more)