Worst over for Missisippi flooding, losses tallied

By James B. Kelleher

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (Reuters) - The swollen Mississippi River's crest rolled downstream on Saturday, sparing St. Louis from major flooding but leaving billions of dollars in damage to crops, houses and infrastructure further north.

Emergency workers anxiously watched the skies, fearing that more rain could swell river levels again and complicate recovery efforts from the worst Midwest flooding in 15 years.

With the worst of the flooding apparently over, communities along the Mississippi's flood plain were tallying their losses and waiting for water to recede.

"Right now things are looking good. The crisis part is passed and that's heartening. We're breathing a sigh of relief," said Farm Bureau official Blake Roderick, executive director for Pike and Scott counties in Illinois.

Just isolated showers and thunderstorms were forecast for portions of southern Wisconsin on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

River levels peaked in St. Louis at 37.27 feet (11.3 metres) late on Friday, lower than earlier forecast and below the record of 49.58 feet (15.1 meters) set in 1993.

More than two dozen levee breaks up-river earlier in the week took pressure off downstream areas.

No additional levee breaks were reported on Saturday, and sandbagging operations in some communities were halted.