Watching the rivers rise

Residents of numerous states try to cope with flooding along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.

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May 20, 2011

A street sign stands in floodwaters from the rising Mississippi River in St. Francisville, La., where a dozen homes and businesses, and several camps were flooded. Residents were leaving in the face of a mandatory evacuation order set to kick in on Saturday as Mississippi River water flowing through the Morganza spillway is expected to reach communities in the Atchafalaya Basin.

Gerald Herbert / AP

May 20, 2011

A snake moves in floodwaters from the rising Mississippi River in St. Francisville, La.

Gerald Herbert / AP

May 20, 2011

Town Alderman Robert Leake rides in a skiff past his hunting camp in the distance in St. Francisville, La. The bottom floor of the three floor camp is under water.

Gerald Herbert / AP

May 20, 2011

A town welcome sign, a historic caboose, and a home are surrounded by floodwaters from the rising Mississippi River in St. Francisville, La.

Gerald Herbert / AP

May 20, 2011

An old school bus sits in floodwaters from the rising Mississippi River in St. Francisville, La.

Gerald Herbert / AP

May 19, 2011

Cars are stranded on a dry strip of roadway north Vicksburg, Miss. The floodwaters from the Mississippi River has displaced thousands of homeowners along waterways in Mississippi and Louisiana. For thousands of people forced from their homes by the rising Mississippi River, life has become a tedious waiting game: waiting for meals at shelters, waiting for the latest word on their flooded homes, waiting for the river to fall.

Dave Martin / AP

May 19, 2011

Restaurant owner David Day walks outside his flooded eatery in Vicksburg, Miss., pausing to remark about the Vicksburg Post banner on their paper box saying "Your World Has Changed This Morning."

Dave Martin / AP

May 19, 2011

Hound dog Bruiser plays in the flood waters near his home in Vicksburg, Miss.

Dave Martin / AP

May 18, 2011

A levee protects a home surrounded by floodwater from the Yazoo River May 18, 2011 near Vicksburg, Mississippi. The flooded Mississippi River is forcing the Yazoo River to top its banks where the two meet near Vicksburg causing towns and farms upstream on the Yazoo to flood. The Mississippi River at Vicksburg is expected to crest May 19.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

May 18, 2011

Zeth Rogers, left, Tyler Clark and Lance Kimble pass through the flooding Atchafalaya River in Simmesport, La. The Morganza Spillway floodgates were opened for the first time in nearly 40 years to lower the crest of the flooding Mississippi River as it is partially diverted to the Atchafalaya Basin.

Mario Tama / Getty Images

May 18, 2011

Crops are inundated by waters from the Yazoo River near Vicksburg, Miss. The Mississippi River is forcing the Yazoo to top its banks where the two meet near Vicksburg, causing towns and farms upstream on the Yazoo to flood.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

May 18, 2011

The Mississippi River floods landscaped trees on the Vidalia Riverfront in Vidalia, La. The engorged river is forecast to crest in Vidalia on May 21 at 63 feet.

Mario Tama / Getty Images

May 18, 2011

Judith Stampley, 71, talks about her flooded home as she stands in her front yard in Vicksburg, Miss.

Dave Martin / AP

May 18, 2011

Debris floats in floodwaters surrounding the Bethlehem MB Church in Vicksburg, Miss.

Dave Martin / AP

May 18, 2011

A truck drives down a flooded road by the Yazoo River near Vicksburg, Miss.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

May 18, 2011

Carla Jenkins, owner of Vidalia Dock & Storage in Vidalia, La., talks with port captain Travis Morace, inside her offices that were flooded by the rising Mississippi.

Gerald Herbert / AP

May 18, 2011

Water flows over a levee near Lake Providence, La. Floodwater released from a key Mississippi River spillway surged through the Louisiana bayou on Tuesday, and levees protecting the state's two biggest cities held as river flows neared their peak.

Eric Thayer / Reuters

May 18, 2011

Buildings are mostly submerged near Lake Providence, La.

Eric Thayer / Reuters

May 18, 2011

People walk along a high flood wall made of Hesco baskets, which was erected by property owners to hold back rising floodwaters from the Mississippi River in the historic Under-the-Hill section of Natchez, Miss.

Gerald Herbert / AP

May 18, 2011

Debris floats near a partially flooded trailer on the banks of the Atchafalaya River outside the levee protection area in Simmesport, La. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened the Morganza Spillway, sending floowaters rushing down the Atchafalaya River in a bid to prevent flooding along the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

Patrick Semansky / AP

May 17, 2011

Farmers work as floodwaters from the Mississippi River creep across their fields in Natchez, Miss.

Dave Martin / AP

May 17, 2011

Water rushes over a dirt road below the Morganza Spillway near Krotz Springs, La.

Sean Gardner / Reuters

May 17, 2011

Tyler Clark stands with his dog Buster near caution tape blocking access to an area of high water on the banks of the Atchafalaya River outside the levee protection area in Simmesport, La.

Patrick Semansky / AP

May 17, 2011

Water from the Mississippi River roars through the Old River Control Structure toward the Atchafalaya Basin in Concordia Parish, La.

Gerald Herbert / AP

May 17, 2011

A flooded home is surrounded by a makeshift levee that failed in Vicksburg, Miss.

Dave Martin / AP

May 17, 2011

A deer wades through water in the Atchafalaya River after the opening of the Morganza Spillway near Krotz Springs, La.

Sean Gardner / Reuters

May 17, 2011

A crane flies over a street sign near a ruler measuring the height of the floodwaters in St. Francisville, La.

Sean Gardner / Reuters

May 17, 2011

Floodwaters from the Mississippi River creep inland across a field of soybeans in Natchez, Miss.

Dave Martin / AP

May 17, 2011

Workers reinforce Hesco baskets, which are designed to stop floodwaters, in preparation for expected flooding from the opening of the Morganza Spillway in Krotz Springs, La.

Gerald Herbert / AP

May 17, 2011

Tanya Acosta returns to move more sandbags with a wagon while constructing a sandbag berm around her home, as her niece Emma Aucoin runs on the sandbags in Stephenville, La.

Mario Tama / Getty Images

May 17, 2011

Lauren Lucas, left, is comforted by her husband, David Lucas, as they stand on a broken pier and watch her mother's business, Vidalia Dock & Storage, take on floodwaters from the Mississippi River in Vidalia, La.

Gerald Herbert / AP

May 17, 2011

Floodwaters from the Mississippi River creep inland across the shore in Natchez, Miss.

Dave Martin / AP

May 17, 2011

A truck is barely visible in a flooded field near Natchez, Miss.

Dave Martin / AP

May 17, 2011

A man watches the rising Atchafalaya River in Morgan City, La. The Morganza Spillway floodgates were opened for the first time in nearly 40 years and have succussfully lowered the crest of the Mississippi River into the Atchafalaya Basin. Heavy rains have caused widespread flooding in Louisiana. Mississippi, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Arkansas.

Mario Tama / Getty Images

May 17, 2011

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) chats with Sean Torgrimson, 10, a fifth-grader at Stephensville Elementary, as he tours Stephensville, La., and speaks with residents and community leaders about flood preparations.

Leslie Westbrook / AP

May 17, 2011

David Sims teaches his two-year-old nephew Martavio how to fish in the floodwater that has inundated the playground in the Waltersville Estate housing complex in Vicksburg, Miss.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

May 17, 2011

Laurie Bailey steps onto the barge he has moved his RV trailer and truck onto in Stephensville, La. If floodwaters reach his home, Bailey plans to move his family of five, along with his animals and other possessions, onto the barge to ride out the flood.

Mario Tama / Getty Images

May 17, 2011

Carla Jenkins, second right, owner of Vidalia Dock and Storage, is hugged by Port Captain Travis Morace, while her daughter Lauren Lucas, left, is hugged by her husband David Lucas, as they survey the damage to her business caused by floodwaters from the Mississippi in Vidalia, La.

Gerald Herbert / AP

May 16, 2011

Nolan Chiasson loads up his dog Coco before evacuating the area to Lafayette, along the Atchafalaya River in Boutte Larose, La. Residents of the Atchafalaya Basin have been forced to seek higher grounds due to rising flood waters associated with the opening of the Morganza spillway.

Sean Gardner / Reuters

May 16, 2011

Cindy Menard walks near her couch, which has been placed atop cinder blocks in preparation of floods in Butte LaRose, La.

Sean Gardner / Reuters

May 16, 2011

Barbara Fontanille searches for a tire she wanted to recover in front of her porch on the rising Atchafalaya River in Simmesport, La. Her family has no flood insurance and has relocated to a trailer provided by FEMA.

Mario Tama / Getty Images

May 16, 2011

President Obama listens as Memphis Mayor A.C. Wharton speaks during a private meeting with elected officials and families affected by the floods in the Tennessee city.

Pete Souza / The White House

May 15, 2011

Houseboats are secured to a tree as floodwaters rise from the Atchafalaya River in Henderson, La. Water is predicted to rise to the flood stage of 27 feet in the area. The Morganza Spillway floodgates were opened for the first time in nearly 40 years Saturday to lower the crest of the flooding Mississippi River. Water from the spillway will flood the Atchafalaya River but relieve flooding on the Mississippi, sparing New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

Mario Tama / Getty Images

May 15, 2011

Eddie Noel and his fiance, Brenda Bernard, unload mattresses from their boat after rescuing them from Noel's nearby hunting camp on the Atchafalaya River in Butte LaRose, La. The small town of Butte LaRose is expected to be severely flooded after the Army Corps of Engineers opened the Morganza Spillway to divert floodwater down the Atchafalaya River and away from the cities of New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

May 15, 2011

A woman ties sandbags together in Stephensville, La., as people throughout the region race to protect their homes from rising floodwaters because of the opening of the Morganza Spillway.

Sean Gardner / Reuters

May 15, 2011

Rick De Villier, left, and Karl Hebert help a homeowner wrap the first floor his home in plastic to limit flood damage from the rising Atchafalaya River in Butte LaRose, La.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

May 15, 2011

Tricia Cochran packs her grandmother's belongings into the back of a pickup in Krotz Springs, La., in advance of forecast flooding brought on by the opening of the Morganza Spillway north of town.

Patrick Semansky / AP

May 15, 2011

Amber Colbert, age 15, lifts a sandbag as she and her family prepare for rising floodwaters because of the opening of the Morganza Spillway in Stephensville, La.

Sean Gardner / Reuters

May 14, 2011

Raymond Prejean helps board up windows on his sister's home to help limit flood damage from the rising Atchafalaya River in Butte LaRose, La.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

May 14, 2011

Neighbors look at the edge of the Cedar School Circle neighborhood in south Vicksburg, Miss.

Rogelio V. Solis / AP

May 14, 2011

Water diverted from the Mississippi River spills through a bay in the Morganza Spillway in Morganza, La.

Patrick Semansky / AP

Water diverted from the Mississippi River spills through a bay in the Morganza Spillway.

Inmates move sandbags for the construction of temporary levees in Butte LaRose, La.

Eric Thayer / Reuters

A crew of workmen plugs up leaks along a temporary seawall adjacent to the Ameristar Casino in Vicksburg, Miss.

Rogelio V. Solis / AP

May 14, 2011

People watch as water diverted from the Mississippi River spills through a bay in the Morganza Spillway.

Patrick Semansky / AP

May 14, 2011

Water from the inflated Mississippi River gushed through a floodgate Saturday for the first time in nearly four decades and headed toward thousands of homes and farmland in the Cajun countryside, threatening to slowly submerge the land under water up to 25 feet deep.

Patrick Semansky / AP

Mississippi River floodwaters continue to creep up the Old Train Depot in downtown Vicksburg, Miss.

Rogelio V. Solis / AP

May 14, 2011

A worker from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers walks on train tracks after members of the Corps opened the Morganza Spillway.

Sean Gardner / Reuters

May 13, 2011

A secondary levee protecting 10,000 acres of farmland at Bunch's Bend in East Carroll Parish, La., failed just as Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) flew over the area. The breach of the farm levee won’t affect the main levee. Louisiana National Guard members took Jindal, other officials and media on an aerial tour of the levee from Concordia Parish north to East Carroll Parish on Friday. It was the governor’s second aerial tour of northeastern Louisiana’s four Mississippi River parishes.

Margaret Croft / AP

A view from the international space station of land hit by Mississippi River flooding near New Madrid, Mo. Authorities plan to start opening a key spillway by Saturday evening to relieve the swollen Mississippi River and avoid flooding Louisiana's two largest cities, although the action will potentially swamp thousands of homes and farms.

/ NASA/AP

May 13, 2011

A workman walks along the sidewalk in a Vidalia, La., riverfront park. State, local and national officials are inspecting the work done to save the city’s riverfront park. Vidalia constructed Hesco walls, designed to resist flooding, around the structures in the park to keep the rising waters of the Mississippi River from entering them.

Margaret Croft / The News-Star via AP

May 13, 2011

Inmates fill sandbags for the construction of temporary levees in Butte LaRose, La.

Eric Thayer / Reuters

May 13, 2011

Wayne Johnson, right, carries possessions from his home in Butte LaRose, La., in preparation for potential flooding.

Eric Thayer / Reuters

May 13, 2011

A resident stands outside a Vicksburg, Miss., business as floodwaters creep up the flood walls and engulf low-lying areas downtown. Mississippi River flooding is expected on both sides of the river along tributaries that are being backed up onto communities, farmland and businesses. The water level is not expected to crest in Vicksburg until Thursday.

Rogelio V. Solis / AP

May 13, 2011

Water from the swelling Mississippi River slowly encroaches on downtown Vicksburg, Miss.

Sean Gardner / Reuters

May 12, 2011

Water tops a damaged levee and begins to flood crops in Lake Providence, La.

Kita Wright / AP

May 12, 2011

Jonathan Flowers, left, and Steve Willie survey the Old River Low Sill Structure north of Morganza, La., which is intended to divert 30 percent of the Mississippi River volume toward the Atchafalya River Basin. The survey was conducted to see if the structure was moving because of the massive amounts of water coming through it.

Eliot Kamenitz / AP

May 12, 2011

A carp tries to swim in water that has flooded the corn fields across River Road north of Yazoo City, Miss. Fish displaced by the flooding of the Mississippi River and forced into the backwaters of the tributaries are trying to return the their natural environment. Thousands of acres of corn, wheat, soybean and cotton crops are now underwater as the tributaries are backing up from flooding along the Mississippi River.

Rogelio V. Solis / AP

Thirteen-year-old Keonna Smith pulls Arkeevian Warifield, 4, through their flooded front lawn in Vicksburg, Miss. In rear right, Dejavian Lyons, 6, pulls Dequez Buck, 6, on a raft.

Bryant Hawkins / AP

May 12, 2011

Members of the Shelby County Sheriff's Office's emergency services patrol a flooded mobile home park evacuated last week in Memphis. The U.S. government scrambled to shore up the levee system in the Deep South to prevent the mighty Mississippi River from overflowing and flooding populated areas.

/ Reuters

May 12, 2011

Buildings outside of levee protection, left, take on floodwater in Morgan City, La.

Patrick Semansky / AP

May 12, 2011

William Boyle paddles thorough his mother's back yard while checking the property conditions as the rising Mississippi River threatens their home in Yokena, Miss. Scores of U.S. heartland rivers from the Dakotas to Ohio have flooded following a snowy winter and heavy spring rains, feeding near-record crests on the lower Mississippi River.

Sean Gardner / Reuters

May 12, 2011

A table with household items floats in floodwater in Vicksburg, Miss.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

May 12, 2011

Howard Jones, left, and Darrell Davis carry wood to shore up Jimmie Davis's home in Deer Park, La.

Eric Thayer / Reuters

May 12, 2011

A home is nearly engulfed by floodwater in Vicksburg, Miss.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

May 12, 2011

Floodwater inundates a wheat field near Vicksburg, Miss.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

May 11, 2011

City workers transport a load of sandbags to be used in reinforcing a levee gate past the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad Station in Vicksburg, Miss. The Mississippi River is expected to crest at a record 58.5 feet.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

May 11, 2011

Mississippi River floodwaters encroach close to farm land near Tunica, Miss.

Rogelio V. Solis / AP

May 11, 2011

Members of the Vicksburg Fire Department and county crews prepare to sandbag areas on a levee to slow floodwaters from the swollen Mississippi River in Vicksburg, Miss.

Sean Gardner / Reuters

May 11, 2011

A house is surrounded by floodwater in the King's Community neighborhood of Vicksburg, Miss.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

May 11, 2011

Mississippi River floodwaters surround the driveway to Fitzgeralds Tunica, a casino and hotel in Robinsonville, Miss.

Rogelio V. Solis / AP

May 11, 2011

William, left, and Milton Jefferson help their brother move from his home in Vicksburg, Miss.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

May 11, 2011

Flooding inundates the Chickasaw subdivision as water from the rising Mississippi River engulfs homes in low lying areas of Vicksburg, Miss.

Sean Gardner / Reuters

May 11, 2011

Houses and property near Tunica, Miss., are flooded by the Mississippi River. Gov. Haley Barbour and other officials took an aerial trip along the Mississippi and some of its tributaries to view the spreading damage.

Rogelio V. Solis / AP

May 11, 2011

Makayla Thibodaux, 4, of Gibson, La., peers out the window of her mother's truck after waiting for more than two hours for sandbags at the Devon Keller Memorial Gym in Terrebonne Parish, La. From its northeast parishes to the boot of the Mississippi River delta, Louisiana was on high alert Wednesday as the rising river threatened houses, farms and industry.

Julia Rendleman / AP

May 11, 2011

Jessica Halbert, left, and Kristin Aman make sandbags in preparation for impending flooding from the likely diversion of Mississippi River floodwaters into the Atchafalaya Basin, in Stephensville, La.

Gerald Herbert / AP

May 11, 2011

Mike Sims returns from the family fishing camp with furniture as he prepares for the onslaught of water from the Morganza Spillway in Butte LaRose, La.

David Grunfeld/The Times-Picayune / AP

May 11, 2011

Dallas Matte sandbags the Luguette's family camp in Butte LaRose, La., in preparation for the onslaught of water from the Morganza Spillway.

David Grunfeld / AP

May 10, 2011

Homes on Mud Island are surrounded by floodwaters in Memphis. The Mississippi River crested in Memphis at nearly 48 feet, falling short of its all-time record but still soaking low-lying areas with enough water to require a massive cleanup.

Jeff Roberson / AP

May 10, 2011

Dan and Sherry Rose stand on their water-covered deck in front of their home as floodwaters slowly rise in Holly Grove, Ark.

Eric Thayer / Reuters

May 10, 2011

Donna Boetger, left, and Phyllis Brown photograph the Mississippi River floodwaters from a bridge over Beale Street in Memphis.

Mark Humphrey / AP

May 10, 2011

Zebedee Anderson fishes while standing on a flooded section of the Bill Ramsey Memorial Highway near Vicksburg, Miss. The Mississippi river at Vicksburg is expected to rise an additional four feet by Thursday.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

May 10, 2011

Louisiana National Guardsmen use machinery to fill Hesco baskets with sand to protect residential neighborhoods in preparation of impending flooding from the likely diversion of Mississippi River waters into the Atchafalaya Basin in Morgan City, La.

Gerald Herbert / AP

May 10, 2011

Residents are briefed by an Army Corps of Engineers commander on possible flooding due to the planned opening of the Morganza Spillway during a town hall meeting in Butte LaRose, La.

Patrick Semansky / AP

May 10, 2011

The Pyramid Arena sits protected by a flood wall from the swollen Mississippi River in Memphis.

Jeff Roberson / AP

May 10, 2011

Cars stand submerged in overflow water from the Wolf River on McMiller Road in Memphis.

Mike Brown / AP

May 10, 2011

Robert Sanders rows his boat through floodwaters in front of his home with his dog Lucky in Holly Grove, Ark.

Eric Thayer / Reuters

May 10, 2011

Melvina Jones carries a mirror through flood waters as the swelling Mississippi River begins to surround her sisters home on Hudson Street in Vicksburg, Miss.

Sean Gardner / Reuters

May 10, 2011

Workers with the Army Corp of Engineers look for minor imperfections to correct before pining down high density polyethylene (HDPE) on the backside of the Yazoo Backwater Levee as a precaution to the overtop of the levee due to the swollen Mississippi River in Vicksburg, Miss.

Sean Gardner / Reuters

May 10, 2011

Water from the swollen Mississippi River surrounds the Historic Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad Co. Depot in Vicksburg, Miss.

Sean Gardner / Reuters

May 10, 2011

Jeremey Marshall turns on a water pump atop a levee built to protect Ergon Marina along the Mississippi River in Vicksburg, Miss.

Sean Gardner / Reuters

May 10, 2011

A flooded residential area is seen in this aerial photograph in Memphis. The Mississippi River crested in the city at nearly 48 feet Tuesday, falling short of its record but still soaking low-lying areas with enough water to require a massive cleanup.

Jeff Roberson / AP

May 10, 2011

A scoreboard for an athletic field is seen surrounded by floodwater in Memphis.

Jeff Roberson / AP

May 9, 2011

Farmlands north of Yazoo City, Miss., that lie near the Yazoo River begin to go underwater. Residents and farmers along the Mississippi River and its tributaries race to secure homes and businesses as much as possible from what is expected to be historic flooding.

Rogelio V. Solis / AP

May 9, 2011

People gather to look at opened bays on the Bonnet Carre Spillway in Norco, La. The spillway, which the Army Corps of Engineers built about 30 miles upriver from New Orleans in response to the great flood of 1927, was last opened during the spring of 2008. Monday marked the 10th time it has been opened since the structure was completed in 1931. The spillway diverts water from the Mississippi River to Lake Pontchartrain.

Patrick Semansky / AP

May 9, 2011

A fish leaps as water is deposited into the Bonnet Carre spillway from the Mississippi River in Norco, La.

Sean Gardner / Reuters

May 9, 2011

Water covers a gravestone in Luxora, Ark. Luxora sits along the Mississippi River where the water level is currently higher than the level of the town, causing the ground to be saturated and leaving nowhere for the water in the town to drain.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

May 9, 2011

Arthur Burton measures as encroaching floodwaters slowly rise in Memphis. More residents were warned to get out of the way of the raging Mississippi River as it surged toward a near-record crest in its southern reaches.

Eric Thayer / Reuters

May 9, 2011

Floodwaters from the Mississippi River surround a casino at Tunica, Miss.

Danny Johnston / AP

May 9, 2011

Temporary structures are constructed at Angola State Penitentiary in West Feliciana Parish, La. A convoy of buses and vans transferred inmates with medical problems from Angola, which is bordered on three sides by the Mississippi River, while other inmates were moved to buildings on higher ground as part of an effort to prepare for possible flooding.

Patrick Semansky / AP

May 9, 2011

Residents and farmers are racing to secure their homes and businesses from what is expected to be historic flooding. The Mississippi River rose toward the highest level ever in Memphis, flooding pockets of low-lying neighborhoods and forcing more than 1,000 people from their homes.

Rogelio V. Solis / AP

May 9, 2011

A tire and trash floats by flooded homes in Memphis.

Mark Humphrey / AP

May 9, 2011

The flood-swollen Mississippi River flows past Memphis. The Mississippi crept toward the highest level ever in the river city, flooding pockets of low-lying neighborhoods and forcing hundreds from their homes, though the water was not threatening the music heartland's most recognizable landmarks, from Graceland to Beale Street.

Danny Johnston / AP

May 9, 2011

Workers top a levee with sandbags near the Mississippi River in Morganza, La.

Patrick Semansky / AP

May 7, 2011

Volunteers fill sandbags to help in the fight against rising floodwater in Memphis.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

May 7, 2011

Jonathan White, right, and Leandra Felton wade through slow rising floodwaters while carrying items from their home in Memphis. The swollen Mississippi River swallowed up farmland and threatened river towns as record amounts of water tested a network of levees and reservoirs built since deadly floods in the last century.

Eric Thayer / Reuters

May 6, 2011

Nathan Moore, left, Steve Richardson and Ronald Moore check on flood damage to their homes in Big Boy Junction near Finley, Tenn.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

May 5, 2011

Floodwaters from the White River rise in an intersection in Des Arc, Ark.

Danny Johnston / AP

May 3, 2011

A barge makes its way up the flooded Mississippi River at Caruthersville, Mo. The recent onslaught of rain has caused significant flooding on the Mississippi and other rivers in southeast Missouri and the U.S. Coast Guard closed a five-mile section of the Mississippi at Caruthersville over concerns that the wake from barges could send water spilling over the floodwall protecting the town of 6,700 residents.

Jeff Roberson / AP

May 5, 2011

The eastbound lane of Interstate 40 near Hazen, Ark., remains open as floodwaters from the White River blocks the westbound lane.

Danny Johnston / AP

May 6, 2011

A tugboat heads under the Harahan Bridge in Memphis, next to Tom Lee Park, which is beginning to be flooded by the Mississippi River. Memphis police began distributing more than 1,000 evacuation notices to area homeowners Friday.

Lance Murphey / AP

May 6, 2011

Dogs keep dry on the porch of a home surrounded by floodwaters in Bogota, Tenn. The Obion River feeds into the Mississippi River near Bogota.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

May 6, 2011

Jerry Brooks uses walking sticks to help him navigate as he wades from the street into his driveway in Bogota, Tenn.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

May 4, 2011

Debbie Ricketts, left, and her neighbors, Bill and Hank Cox, bask in the sun on the cement foundation of a grain bin they dubbed "Gilligan's Island," surrounded by floodwater in Point Township, Ind.

Denny Simmons / AP

May 4, 2011

A herd of deer congregate on one of the few high points in Posey County's Point Township, Ind.

Denny Simmons / AP

May 4, 2011

Volunteers fill sandbags at the Pyramid Arena ahead of rising floodwaters from the Mississippi River in Memphis.

Lance Murphey / AP

May 4, 2011

Floodwaters cross a section of Route 149 between Deason and Pershing Road near West Frankfort, Ill.

Steve Jahnke / AP

May 3, 2011

The threat of massive flooding was lightened after the Birds Point Levee in Missouri was breached by the Army Corps of Engineers. The demolition of the levee sent water pouring onto thousands of acres of farmland, easing Mississippi River floodwaters threatening the tiny Illinois town of Cairo.

Paul Newton / AP

May 3, 2011

Floodwaters flow over the Birds Point levee after the Army Corps of Engineers blew a massive hole in it to divert water from the town of Cairo, Ill.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

May 3, 2011

Residents of Elizabethtown, Ill., build a wall of sandbags to hold back the rising water.

Stephen Rickerl / AP

May 3, 2011

Highway T in Wayne County, Mo., is closed as raging floodwaters from Wappapello Lake, which overtopped an emergency spillway, pour through the area and into the St. Francis River. The waters took out a nearly 400-foot-long section of the roadway.

Paul Davis / AP

May 3, 2011

Roy Presson, center, embraces his daughters Catherine, left, and Amanda as they stand on the edge of State Highway HH looking out at their family farm in Wyatt, Mo.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

May 3, 2011

Jacob Billings, 17, dumps water out of his shoes after riding his bike through standing water at Waymond Morris Park in Owensboro, Ky.

Jenny Sevcik / AP

May 2, 2011

In this image taken from video, an explosion lights up the night sky as the the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers blows a two-mile hole in the Birds Point levee in Mississippi County, Mo. The hole in the levee was expected to lower river levels upstream and help save the town of Cairo, Ill.

David Carson / AP

May 1, 2011

From left, Jake Decker, Britt Decker and Debbie Decker help their uncle Larry Taylor clean up sandbags from the perimeter of Taylor's house after floodwaters from Pigeon Creek receded in Evansville, Ind.

Erin McCracken / AP

April 29, 2011

Jim Williams checks the damage to his home after being inundated by floodwaters from the Ohio River in Kentucky. Days of heavy rain caused the river to overflow its banks in Louisville.

John Sommers II / Reuters

April 29, 2011

Mike Yates takes a break from flood recovery in his office at Counter Solutions in Jackson, Tenn. Dozens of roads were closed because of downed trees and power lines, hundreds were homeless and tens of thousands were without power after the most devastating storm to hit the state since Feb. 5, 2008.

Aaron Hardin / AP

April 28, 2011

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear views flooding of Hickman, Ky., from a Black Hawk helicopter. Beshear (D) visited flood-ravaged areas in western Kentucky on Thursday and asked the White House for federal assistance.

Michael Hayman / AP

April 28, 2011

Illinois Route 3 remains passable through Olive Branch, but floodwater has taken up most of the rest of the Southern Illinois town.

Paul Newton / AP

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Joanna Lumley, Corbin Bleu, Jennifer Aniston, Katy Perry, Luke James and other celebrities.

Feb. 15, 2012: French bulldog Baby attends the feeding of wild boar piglets at the Lehnitz animal sanctuary outside Berlin, Germany. Six little pigs have found a new friend in a maternal French bulldog named Baby. The Lehnitz animal sanctuary outside Berlin says Baby took straight to the wild boar piglets when they were brought in Saturday, three days old and shivering from cold. Sanctuary worker Norbert Damm said Wednesday as soon as the furry striped piglets were brought in, Baby ran over and started snuggling them and keeping them warm, even though they're already about her size. He says the piglets' mother was likely killed by a hunter and the litter was found abandoned in a forest. The piglets are being bottlefed right now and should be released to an animal sanctuary when they can feed themselves in about three months.

Animal views

A French bulldog adopts wild boar piglets, a fingernail-size chameleon, frill-necked lizards and more.

This undated image released by Julien's Auctions shows a pair of pearl drop earrings worn by Whitney Houston in the movie The Bodyguard,Warner Bros., 1992.Â This item is part of âHollywood Legendsâ auction scheduled to run on Saturday March 31, 2012 through Sunday April 1st at the Julienâs Auctions gallery in Beverly Hills.Â (AP Photo/Julien's Auctions)

Whitney Houston items up for auction

Items that belonged to or were used by the late pop icon will be sold by Julien’s Auctions in March. Here is a look at those items, plus other celebrity items auctioned by Julien&rsquo...

A reveler with the Mystic Stripers tosses trinkets to the crowds gathered on Royal Street in Mobile, Ala., Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012. The pre-Lenten blowout continues along the Gulf Coast culminating in Fat Tuesday celebrations Feb. 21. Tourism leaders estimate more than a million visitors pour into the Mobile area each Mardi Gras season to watch the festivities. (AP Photo/Mobile Register, G.M. Andrews) MAGS OUT; NO SALES

Mardi Gras around the globe

Revelers around the world celebrate Fat Tuesday, the day before the fasting season of Lent begins.

Kennedy Space Center at 50

The Kennedy Space Center is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and the 50th anniversary of John Glenn’s orbital flight.

ATTENTION EDITORS - IMAGE 4 OF 25 FOR PICTURE PACKAGE 'MONGOLIA'S OLYMPIC GYM ' Mongolia's Olympic freestyle 60kg wrestler Mandakhnaran Ganzorig limbers with a partner at a wrestling gym in Ulan Bator, October 27, 2012. While the elite of the sporting world tune up for the London Olympics in world class facilities, other gold medal hopefuls are forced to make do with less salubrious surroundings. In Mongolia, Asian champion Ganzorig trains alongside children playing basketball in an old, tired gym with paint peeling from the walls. Children play on ancient free weight machines, climb ropes and roll around on the floor mimicking their wrestling hero as he warms up for his training session in the corner. Picture taken October 27, 2012 REUTERS/Kieran Doherty (MONGOLIA - Tags: SPORT OLYMPICS)

Olympic dreams, shabby surroundings

While the elite of the sporting world tune up for the London Olympics in world-class facilities, other gold medal hopefuls are forced to make do with less. In Mongolia, Asian champion...

FILE - In this Oct. 13, 2011 file photo, Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, speaks in Redmond, Wash. To hear some Republican presidential candidates tell it, the president’s pen is a magic wand that can make Obamacare vanish in one day and sweep in cheaper health care, economic growth and lots of jobs in businesses freed from the health care law’s heavy hand. But there is no such fairy dust in Washington. Across the board, the contenders pledge to repeal the overhaul. In doing so, some are more realistic than others about what they can achieve and how fast. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

10 richest U.S. presidents

If Mitt Romney wins the election, it will him the second-wealthiest president in our nation’s history. Here’s a list of the richest presidents, ranked by 24/7 Wall Street...

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Residents of numerous states try to cope with flooding along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.

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