Latest: Officials prepare to close I-55 south of St. Louis
Officials are preparing for the possible closure of a major interstate highway south of St. Louis amid historic flooding.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says that flood water from the Mississippi River and its tributaries has spilled over nine federal levees in the St. Louis area.
Forecast maps released Wednesday afternoon show reduced flooding risks at another 10 area levees deemed vulnerable one day previously.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans to close U.S. 51 at two locations in western Kentucky in response to flooding forecasts.
President Barack Obama is pledging the federal government's continued help dealing with severe weather in a phone call with Missouri's governor.
White House spokesman Eric Schultz says Obama told Nixon that he had asked his staff to monitor the events closely and to work with Nixon's team to provide any help necessary from the federal government.
The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency said Wednesday that Fort de Chartres, Fort Kaskaskia and Pierre Menard Home have been temporarily shut down because rising water made the sites and nearby roads unsafe.
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon says he's optimistic the eastern and southern portions of the state will soon recover from devastating flooding but cautions "we're not over this."
A barn and a cabin built on property owned by Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission administrator Ed Fite was washed away, and pieces of the oak structures are scattered in tree lines and pastures.
After filming wrapped up on the remake, Fite says he convinced filmmakers to leave the buildings behind.
In 2011, the Ohio there crested a record 22 feet above flood stage before the floodway was thrust into use, swamping 130,000 acres.
City firefighters worked to unclog flooded storm drains behind a seven-foot-high, 1,000-foot-long temporary retaining wall reinforced by gravel and sandbags.
Missouri Department of Public Safety spokesman Mike O'Connell says