Swollen Mississippi River threatens Midwest towns

The worst was yet to come south of St. Louis near Cape Girardeau, Mo., where the river was to continue to swell higher until reaching a peak Thursday night, again some 13 feet above flood stage. That rapid rise has produced a feverish sandbagging effort in nearby Dutchtown, where the river threatened to send water into about a third of the homes in the tiny town of about 100 people. It also was threatening to make another nearby community — Allenville, population 117 — an island. In Dutchtown, dozens of prison inmates bussed in were working shoulder to shoulder with other volunteers Tuesday, working to bolster the makeshift barrier. “So far, the levees are doing fine,” Dutchtown Alderwoman Shirley Moss said. “We still have a lot of water coming this way, and we’re still all out here working. It’s very treacherous, and you just don’t know how much you need to do to prevent this water from coming into town. “We’re doing all we can, with all the help we can get.” Read the full article…