Millions Face Flood Threat As Missouri Rivers Reach Record Heights

Missouri is in a state of emergency as flooding continues and record water levels expected over the coming days.

Missouri’s governor activated the National Guard to help divert traffic from submerged roads and Illinois’ governor declared disasters in seven counties.

Thirteen people in Missouri have died in floods caused by the severe storms over the weekend, and although the rain has moved on, swollen rivers are still rising

Scenes from towns along the Mississippi this New Years. This river is not supposed to flood in December pic.twitter.com/pvtMIZw0U8

— Bill McKibben (@billmckibben) December 30, 2015

RT reports: Seventeen million people in the US are currently living in areas with flood warnings, with 400 river gauges nationwide over their flood capacity.

Missouri is one of the worst affected areas with three major rivers, the Missouri, the Meramec and the Mississippi all above the flood stage.

The St. Louis Office of the National Weather Service said Missouri will have “major to historic river flooding through early next week”.

The Mississippi River is currently over 13 meters above the flood stage and is expected to continue to rise, peaking at what is expected to be a new record level on December 31.

Record crests expected on area rivers the next several days #mowx #ilwx #stlwx pic.twitter.com/Fe8dLNdP4n

— NWS St. Louis (@NWSStLouis) December 30, 2015

Sections of Interstate 44 were shut down as parts of the road became flooded. Five soldiers were killed at the weekend when the car they were in was swept into a river after driving onto a flooded roadway, according to CNN. At least 20 people in total have died in the state due to storm-related incidents.