POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. (AP) — Powerful storms that swept through the nation’s midsection have pushed river levels to dangerous heights and are threatening to flood several towns in Missouri and elsewhere.
The storm system that brought a tornado that caused massive damage and killed four people in the Arkansas town of Vilonia on Monday was expected to move into Illinois and Wisconsin on Tuesday.
The system dumped 6 inches of rain on Poplar Bluff, Mo., on Monday, where the swollen Black River is pouring over a levee protecting the town from major flooding.
Poplar Bluff Deputy police chief Jeff Rolland said Tuesday that it’s a “miracle” the levee has not breached and that crews helped sure up a vulnerable part of the levee overnight with sandbags.
About 1,000 homes in the area have been evacuated.
