DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — People along the Mississippi River in southeast Iowa and northwest Illinois are warily watching rising water levels from the spring snow melt. Further north, floodwaters are beginning to slowly recede and reveal damage there. The National Weather Service said many of the crests across the region this spring will rank in the top 10 all time but will remain well below the records set in past floods. Officials in many cities are optimistic they’ll be able to either keep the floodwaters at bay through a combination of floodwalls and sandbags or to contain it to low-lying park areas. But some homes close to the river have been damaged. In recent days the Mississippi flooded low-lying parks and trails in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and flooded streets and basements in the town of Campbell on French Island, which lies in the Mississippi and Black rivers just west of La Crosse. The river crested at 15.9 feet (4.8 meters) on Thursday, almost 4 feet (1.2 meters) above flood stage and the third-highest level ever, but it has been receding by the hour since. About 60 miles (95 kilometers) downstream, flood waters covered streets in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. The river crested there at 22.9 feet (7 meters) on Friday, which also the third-highest crest ever. Officials posted guidelines for disposing of sandbags and other debris on the city’s website as the river levels started to fall.
