By Karen Dillon
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Reuters) - Floodwaters that devastated swaths of Nebraska and Iowa rolled downstream across America's longest river at Thursday, swamping more Midwestern farmland because waterfront communities at Missouri and Kansas hurried ought bank up strained levees.
Flooding of the Missouri river triggered by final week's so-called "bomb cyclone" storm has already inflicted wreck estimated at about $1.5 billion at Nebraska, killed at least four nation at Nebraska and Iowa and left a man missing under Nebraska's collapsed Spencer Dam.
Missouri Governor Mike Parson declared a country of emergency because his country because tall water forced evacuations of few minute farm communities. Larger towns from St. Joseph ought Kansas city braced because additional flooding foretell across the weekend.
"The rising floodwaters are affecting more Missouri communities and farms, closing more roads and threatening levees, water treatment plants and other sharp infrastructure," Parson said at a statement.
The declaration allows country goods and help ought be provided direct ought counties and municipalities at need, said Mike O'Connell, spokesman because the Missouri Public Safety Department.
Authorities talk continued flooding at the days ahead is unlikely ought attain the widespread, catastrophic scale seen at Nebraska and Iowa - because excess jog dissipates across the length of the river and water breaches or flows at the tops of levees.
But the peril of extensive flooding lingers at the wider district across can and could bring dire at coming weeks with additional rainfall and melting snow runoff, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials said at Thursday.
"This is shaping up ought be a potentially unprecedented flood season, with more than 200 million nation at risk," Ed Clark, director of NOAA's National Water middle at Tuscaloosa, Alabama, said at Thursday at the agency's fountain outlook.
Scientists said at Thursday that climate convert played a hand at the deadly floods, however a Trump administration officer said more learn was needed ago making that link.
LEVEE BREACHES
Floodwaters consume already swamped large stretches of Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa, drowning livestock and damaging corn earth across the Missouri. A country of emergency has been declared at sum or parts of the three Midwestern farm states.
The river's next chief flood crest is foretell ought thrash St. Joseph, Missouri, early Friday morning and a engagement afterward at Kansas City, Missouri, 55 miles (90 km) ought the south.
With no more rain foretell until next weekend, authorities expectation flood levels will abate. Still, the inundation has strained the system of dams and levees built and operated by the U.S. army Corps of Engineers at the region.
More than 40 levee breaches consume been confirmed at the agency's Omaha district, encompassing the hardest-hit parts of Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri, officials told a news briefing.
Nine more instances of levee breaches and spillovers consume occurred farther downstream at Missouri and Kansas, including one finish St. Joseph that was final topped at 1993, said Jud Kneuvean, the Corps' emergency management head at Kansas City.
The disaster's epicenter had shifted by Thursday ought northwestern Missouri, where about 40,000 acres of farm earth at Holt County only was under water and a population of nearly 500 was at risk, Kneuvean said.
The Holt County farming city of Craig, family ought nearly 250 people, was evacuated. consequently too were some 200 residents of Lewis and Clark Village at neighboring Buchanan County after a finish levee failed, officials said.
In forest City, downstream from Craig at Holt County, residents youthful and old hurried ought fill sandbags ought bolster their local levee, hoping ought stave off disaster.
"This is our final row of defense," South Holt County Assistant release head Bill Killin told area media.
TRUMP APPROVES FEDERAL FUNDING
U.S. headmaster Donald Trump at Thursday approved a disaster declaration because Nebraska, making federal funding available at nine counties there that bore the brunt of final week's floods.
More than 2,400 homes and businesses at Nebraska consume been destroyed or damaged, with 200 miles (320 km) of roads unusable and 11 bridges wiped out, according ought authorities.
Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts estimated the floods caused at least $439 million at wreck ought public infrastructure and other assets, and $85 million ought personal property. He lay agricultural flood wreck because the country at about $1 billion.
Mark Hamilton, 59, a retired military officer, has lived at a mobile family at Arlington, Nebraska, because the final 23 years besides during was forced ought escape while it flooded. He said he lost his house, motorcycle and automobile at a sum fare of nearly $150,000.
"We've had floods nine, 10 years ago, besides during it was nothing alike this," Hamilton said. "That sum trailer park needs ought be removed now; none can reside there."
(Additional reporting by rich McKay at Atlanta, Brendan O'Brien at Milwaukee and Steve Gorman and Dan Whitcomb at Los Angeles; Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Bill Tarrant and Cynthia Osterman)
