As floodwaters around St. Louis and more northern points around the Mississippi River recede, “deadly floodwaters continue to surge slowly southward” and points south are bracing for the worst.
Accuweather.com reports that the Mississippi River is expected to reach moderate or major flood stage at many locations in Tennessee, Arkansas, this week and that “[F]looding along the Mississippi River will take the better part of January to cycle southward to the delta region.”
In response to the historic flooding, hundreds of National Guard, U.S. Coast Guard and other military personnel have stepped in to save lives and protect property by performing rescue missions, helping in evacuations, providing security, sandbagging and levee monitoring and with other essential tasks.
Here are some photos of soldiers and airmen providing aid in Missouri.
Soldiers prepare to operate a water distributor to pump water out of flooded areas back over the Valley Park levee on the Meramec River in Missouri, Dec. 31, 2015. The soldiers are assigned to the Missouri National Guard’s 220th Engineer Company. Missouri National Guard photo by Air Force Senior Airman Patrick P. Evenson.
An aerial view from a Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry shows flooding and high water from New Madrid, Mo., to Chester, Ill., Jan. 1, 2016. The helicopter crew and Marine Safety Unit Paducah responders surveyed the flooding. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Timothy Tamargo.
Army National Guardsmen discuss their plan to stage potable water tankers at an elementary school in High Ridge, Mo., Jan. 1, 2016. Missouri National Guard photo
Missouri Guardsmen Spc. John Talbert, left, and Spc. Cole Schreiner observe a flooded roadway from a levee near East Prairie, Mo., Jan. 2, 2016. Both are assigned to the 1140th Engineer Battalion, Missouri National Guard. Missouri Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Patrick P. Evenson.
Water is pumped back over the Valley Park levee on the Meramec River in Missouri, Dec. 31, 2015. Soldiers and airmen assigned to the Missouri National Guard supported the Missouri Department of Transportation in flood relief efforts in south-central Missouri. Missouri Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Patrick P. Evenson
Soldiers work into the night on a water purification mission in High Ridge, Mo., Jan. 3, 2016. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Harold Flynn
An aerial view from a Missouri National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter shows the effects of flooding in Valley Park, Mo., Dec. 30, 2015. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, Army Maj. Gen. Stephen L. Danner, adjutant general of the state’s National Guard, and members of an emergency management team flew in the helicopter to view the devastation. Missouri Army National Guard photo by Cpl. Alex Flynn
Lead photo: Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crews monitor areas affected by the high water and flooding near Cape Girardeau, Mo., Jan. 3, 2016. Coast Guard aircrews were brought to Cape Girardeau to use as search and rescue platforms, and monitor high water and flooding in the region. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Seth Johnson
All photos and captions: DOD
