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Midwest flooding continues thanks to Ike

Just a few months after near-record flooding across the Midwest, roads in the region were under water again Tuesday and more than 1 million people were without power thanks to  Ike.
Severe Weather Disaster Areas
Flood waters cover roads Monday in Rosemont, Ill. Gov. Rod Blagojevich declared seven counties state disaster areas after remnants from Hurricane Ike record levels of rain on the Chicago area.M. Spencer Green / AP
/ Source: The Associated Press

Just a few months after near-record flooding across the Midwest, roads in the region were under water again Tuesday and more than 1 million people were without power thanks to the remnants of Hurricane Ike.

“The old-timers knew it was wise to leave the sandbags,” said Arnold City Manager Matthew Unrein, whose town south of St. Louis still has the sandbag defenses it built when it was threatened by floods in March. The Meramec was expected to reach 18 feet above flood stage in Arnold on Thursday.

Several rivers in Missouri were rising toward crests expected later this week, some more than 15 feet above flood stage. Flooding already was occurring at several towns along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, including St. Louis. The President Casino on the St. Louis riverfront shut down for the third time since April because of high water, and the boulevard that runs in front of the Gateway Arch was closed.

Ike dumped as much as 8 inches of rain on parts of Indiana, Illinois and Missouri after coming ashore in Texas during the weekend. It spawned hurricane-force wind in Ohio and a tornado in Arkansas that damaged several buildings.

The devastating rain and wind in the Midwest brought Ike’s total death toll to at least 47 in 10 states from the Gulf Coast to the upper Ohio Valley.

The violent weather also knocked out power to more than 2 million homes and businesses across the Midwest, most of them in Ohio. As of Tuesday, the Ohio Emergency Management Agency said 1.4 million customers still had no electricity.

The governors of Illinois, Ohio and Kentucky declared states of emergency. Several utilities said many customers might not be back on line until the weekend, and Louisville Gas and Electric says it could be two weeks before service is fully restored in Kentucky’s largest city.

More than a half-million Kentucky customers lost power at the height of the storm. “This is the biggest outage on record in the commonwealth of Kentucky,” said Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear. He said half the state’s 120 counties reported storm damage.

Hundreds of roads were flooded around Missouri, including about 200 state roads and highways.

Some areas closed to recreational boats
The National Weather Service is projecting moderate flooding from Hannibal south to the convergence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. Major flooding is expected from St. Louis south to Cape Girardeau, although few homes are expected to be affected. At Hermann, the Missouri is expected to crest 11.5 feet above flood stage Thursday, enough to flood 37,000 acres of farmland and threaten at least two businesses.

The Coast Guard closed stretches of the Missouri and Mississippi to recreational vessels Tuesday, saying the strong current created by the rising water and heavy floating debris created significant hazards.

In central Illinois, the rising Illinois River had chased about 100 people from their homes in Morris, Assistant Fire Chief Robert Will said. By Friday, the river is expected to crest more than 7 feet above flood stage at Peoria, officials said.

The rain from Ike combined with earlier storms in southern and western Michigan to rupture a dam in Berrien County and cause massive sewage overflows and street flooding, authorities said.

An 8-foot section of that earthen dam gave way Monday night on the Dowagiac River and about a dozen homes had to be evacuated.

Chicago sewers backed up
The rain also overwhelmed Chicago's 4,300 miles of sewers — backing up into homes and inundating streets and parking lots.

Stores reported a run on sump and utility pumps. "People were running around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to stop the damage," said Pete Palermo, a manager of the Keystone Ace Hardware in Albany Park.

Eight inches or more of rain swamped hundreds of homes in northwestern Indiana and a busy stretch of Interstate 80/94 was blocked by water. Road crews were still working to pump water from I-80/94, a major route into the Chicago area, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday.

Indiana National Guard troops were activated Sunday and Monday to help evacuate about 5,000 residents from flooded parts of Munster, Ind., during the weekend.

"The water was nothing but a trickle in the middle of the street and by the time we decided what to do it was too late," said Munster resident George Polvich, who was rescued by boat.