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Dramatic Images Show Deadly Flooding In Midwest

Illinois and Missouri are seeing the worst flooding in years due to heavy rainfall.
Nadya Agrawal
By 

Guest Writer

Officials fear the deadly floods in Missouri and Illinois will get worse as rivers and stream waters rise above federal levees built to protect communities and farmland.

Since Dec. 25, the floods have killed 7 people in the two Midwest states.

Firefighters in boats were deployed in Eureka, Missouri, a city southwest of St. Louis, to rescue residents. In one instance a man and his dog were saved while they sat on the roof of a house as floodwaters had risen to the eaves, reports The Associated Press.

Heavy rainfall in the region has caused the flooding, with rivers including the Mississippi, Missouri and Meremac bursting their banks.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that water had already risen above 9 levees and another 11 could be breached.

Forced evacuations are taking place in some parts of the states and highways are being shut, in response to the floods. President Barack Obama has pledged federal government support to Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon.

See photos of the flooding below:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Floodwater covers Interstate 44, on Dec. 30, 2015, in Valley Park, Missouri.
Michael B. Thomas via Getty Images
The High Ridge Fire Department performs a water rescue to evacuate stranded residents along the Meremac River on Dec. 30, 2015 in Eureka, Missouri.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Mississippi River flows past the Gateway Arch on Dec. 30, 2015, in St. Louis.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Floodwater from the Bourbeuse River surrounds a McDonald's restaurant, on Dec. 29, 2015, in Union, Missouri.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Homes and businesses are surrounded by floodwater on Dec. 30, 2015, in Pacific, Missouri.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Volunteers help fill sandbags on Dec. 29, 2015, in St. Louis.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In this aerial photo, people stand on a flooded street on Dec. 30, 2015, in Eureka, Missouri.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch via Getty Images
Paul Dusablon and Richard Kotva move from the Circle K at Springdale Park, south of Fenton, Missouri, on Dec. 30, 2015.
Michael B. Thomas via Getty Images
A man removes debris from a business on Dec. 30, 2015 in Fenton, Missouri.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Floodwater from the Bourbeuse River surrounds a Super 8 hotel on Dec. 29, 2015, in Union, Missouri.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Homes are surrounded by floodwater on Dec. 30, 2015, in Pacific, Missouri.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Floodwater from the Bourbeuse River surrounds businesses on Dec. 29, 2015, in Union, Missouri.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A house is surrounded by floodwater on Dec. 30, 2015, in Eureka, Missouri.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Businesses are surrounded by floodwater on Dec. 30, 2015, in Pacific, Missouri.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch via Getty Images
Plein air artist Jan Trager paints a flooded portion of a street on Dec. 30, 2015 in Pacific, Missouri.
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