More than a million people are under flood warnings in the upper US Midwest
More than a million people are under flood warnings in the upper US Midwest on Sunday after days of heavy rain that forced evacuations and rescues in several states.
The hardest hit have been Iowa and South Dakota, where some rivers reached record-high levels.
At least one person died in the floods in South Dakota, said the state’s governor Kristi Noem.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds called the floods “catastrophic” and has declared a state of disaster in 21 counties.
Drone footage posted by regional officials show homes and buildings almost completely submerged, with only rooftops visible.
In the town of Spencer in northeast Iowa, the water-level gauge was completely submerged by water.
“When the flood gauge is underwater, it’s really high,” said Eric Tigges of Clay County emergency management at a news conference on Sunday.
Hundreds of homes have been damaged in the town, officials said, and the city’s sewage plant was also deluged.
Other states with regions under weekend flood warnings include Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin.
A flood warning means that flooding is either imminent or ongoing.
Some warnings are expected to end late on Sunday, according to bulletins by the National Weather Service (NWS), but others are in effect until further notice.
Some warnings are expected to end late on Sunday, according to bulletins by the National Weather Service (NWS), but others are in effect until further notice.
In Iowa, officials said river levels have risen above those of a 1993 flood that killed 50 people.
Up to 18in (45cm) of torrential rain fell in some areas over this weekend.
In South Dakota, Gov Noem declared a state of emergency warned that the worst of the flooding is expected on Monday and Tuesday, and that the Big Sioux River could surpass record levels.
Around 4,000 residents in Rock Valley, Iowa – about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Sioux Falls – were forced to evacuate after the Rock River rose to record levels on Saturday.
