ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Hundreds of sandbaggers ranging from children to the elderly are working fast to try and save businesses from floodwaters in the St. Louis suburb of Eureka, Missouri.
The Meramec River is expected to reach nearly 27 feet above flood stage in Eureka by Wednesday morning, just shy of the record set on Dec. 30, 2015. Other St. Louis suburbs like Valley Park, Pacific and Arnold are also in danger from the surging Meramec.
Torrential rains over the weekend caused flash flooding across Missouri, and as storm drains and fields continue to pour into rivers, they continue to rise. Near-record flooding is forecast on several rivers, including the Mississippi at Cape Girardeau.
Three deaths across the state are blamed on flooding.
Some parts of the state got as much as a foot of rain from Friday through Sunday, though most areas got about half that. There was only a slight chance of rain Monday, but rivers were expected to continue to rise, fed by runoff from fields and flooded sewer systems.
The Mississippi River was expected to reach 16 feet above flood stage in southeast Missouri's Cape Girardeau, within a half-foot of the all-time record. And the Meramec River near St. Louis was expected to approach record levels reached less than 18 months ago. Valley Park Mayor Michael Pennise issued a mandatory evacuation order Monday for residents living behind a levee.
The widespread weekend flash-flooding led to hundreds of water rescues, including more than 70 in southern Missouri's Howell County, where several homes and businesses were destroyed in and around the town of West Plains. Doug Cramer, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Springfield, said up to 12 inches of rain fell in parts of southwestern Missouri, forcing hundreds of evacuations.
In Jefferson County, south of St. Louis, a 78-year-old man drowned Sunday after walking to a creek to look at rising water. Authorities say he slipped and was swept away.
Two others died when their vehicles were swept away by floodwaters. Gideon Jenkins, 18, of Richland, was killed early Sunday in Pulaski County. Madelaine Krueger, 72, of Billings, was killed Saturday in Christian County.
Hundreds of roads were closed, including a 57-mile stretch of Interstate 44. Levees were straining to hold back the water. A Cuivre River levee was topped near Old Monroe, Missouri, north of St. Louis.
The storms were part of a bigger system that spawned severe storms and tornadoes, claiming at least 15 lives.