Oddly NOT being front paged on the papers I get, and little covered within the US (unless directly affected). Are massive catastrophes now ignored in the US? A Google search of news for "US floods" shows far more foreign coverage than US.
In Canadian news, the Calgary Sun:
U.S. floods claim land and lives
UPDATED: 2008-03-22 04:08:02 MST By AP
FENTON, Mo. -- Americans in the flood-weary Midwest are fighting to save their homes and businesses from rivers spilling over their banks after rainstorms blamed for at least 16 deaths moved through the region. .............Government forecasters warned flooding could continue because of record rainfall and melting snow packs across the Midwest and Northeast.
AOL News has this frontpaged with photos - but not visible unless you scroll past a story on McCain
http://news.aol.com/...
more......
This is a pretty significant event affecting a large area but it's not getting a large amount of coverage. Remember those ever-present shots of midwest flooding a decade or so back? It seems like some of the expected levels will be close to the massive flood levels seen in the late 1990's.
Geographically this is larger than Katrina - with lots of people affected over large areas. How will government respond? What's the status of Army Reserve and NG units in these states? Are ther around? Deployed? Is EQUIPMENT around? (much of the NG's equipment has been sent overseas even if units are at home). What kind of aid will affected communities be receiving?
Given the ongoing - and ignored - disaster that was Katrina, will this be handled any better? And - the only thing that seems to matter right now - how will this affect voters?
A reminder - Most of the nation has other things to worry about and could care less what Obama said (how many do you think has directly heard ANY of his speeches - including the 'race' one?) or whether Clinton is STILL in the race... and is oblivious to McCain's senile old man gaffes....
They're worried about the price of gasoline (wonder how much it'll drop this October right before the elections?), whether they can pay for hamburger or stick with pasta, and trying to make sure the house payments are covered - or meybe even just the electricity..... Even the 'better off' are recalculating how much LONGER they're going to have to work because their IRA's and 401K's have tanked (checked YOUR retirement fund lately? How much have YOU lost?)
But some people have it even worse.... they've lost much of what they own.
From the AOL report
At Valley Park, the river rose to a peak of 37.8 feet Saturday morning, well above the flood stage of 16 feet but still below the record of 39.7 feet, according to the National Weather Service.
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"For some of these places, this is their 500-year flood," she said.
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Across Arkansas, some rivers were hitting their highest levels in 90-odd years. The Arkansas River crested in Little Rock and points upstream at 22 feet, about a foot below flood stage in the capital city.
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The Black River at Pocahontas, Ark., was projected to crest Monday at 26.5 feet, the highest there since 1915, the weather service said.
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Milwaukee's 12.4 inches of snow Friday brought the city's total this season to 96 inches, its second-heaviest on record.
From SRI Lanka:
Spring snowstorm, floods blanket US midwest
CHICAGO, Thick, heavy snow blanketing parts of the central United States could worsen flood conditions along the Mississippi River basin, the National Weather Service warned Friday.
Hundreds of flights were cancelled and traffic was snarled as a spring snowstorm dumped as much as 10 inches (25 centimeters) of wet snow in a wide swath ranging from North Dakota to Michigan.
Just a few hours drive to the south, hundreds and homes and business were still under water as soggy towns waited for floodwaters to recede and rivers to crest.
"Around St. Louis they are still looking at major flooding because of the water feeding in from the Ohio River to the Mississippi (River,)" said Pat Slattery, a spokesman for the National Weather Service.
"It's going to take a while for these things to go down." (AFP)
http://www.thedailygreen.com/...
More Floods Forecast for Swamped U.S.
With Ground Saturated, A Little Rain Will Go A Long Way
By Dan Shapley
The floods that have already claimed 13 lives may be only a taste of what is to come, according to numerous reports about the National Weather Service's annual spring outlook.
"In its annual spring outlook released Thursday, the weather service says states where the Mississippi, Ohio and Missouri rivers run are at an above-average risk for flooding," USA Today reported. "Pennsylvania, New York, New England and parts of the West, including Colorado and Idaho, will have a high risk, too, because they have had record rain and snowfall."
It's not so much the rain to come, as the National Weather Service is predicting a generally normal, or even dry, April-June period. But because of the amount of snow and rain built up over frozen ground, because the ground is saturated with water in many places, and because flooded rivers have yet to return to normal levels, additional and serious flooding is likely with or without much additional precipitation.
From Natchez:
http://www.sunherald.com/...
Miss. River expected to top flood stage Monday in Natchez
The Associated Press
http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/
NATCHEZ, Miss. --The Mississippi River is expected to rise above flood stage here sometime Monday, and authorities are concerned flooding could become a problem in the coming weeks.
Flood stage near Natchez is 48 feet above gauge zero. At 47 feet, water will begin to enter the former Belwood Golf Course and Carthage Point Road in southern Adams County.
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A flood warning has been issued by the National Weather Service for the lower Mississippi River region. Experts predict the river will continue to rise until it reaches its crest height near Natchez April 6, when National Weather Service models predict it will reach a height of 53.5 feet. That would be the highest the river has gotten here since 1997.
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Officials in Vicksburg, Miss., are also keeping a close watch on the water level. Flood stage at the city is 43 feet. The river is forecast to rise above flood stage Wednesday, and crest at 46 feet on April 5.
http://www.bostonherald.com/...
Floods block highways and force hundreds to flee in central US, 9 deaths linked to storm
By Associated Press
Wednesday, March 19, 2008 -
PIEDMONT, Mo. - Flooding forced hundreds of people to flee their homes and closed scores of roads Wednesday across the nation’s midsection as a storm system poured as much as a foot of rain on the region. Nine deaths were linked to the weather and four people were missing.
The National Weather Service posted flood and flash flood warnings from Texas to Pennsylvania on Wednesday, and evacuations were under way in parts of Missouri, Arkansas and Ohio.