St. Louis area still in deep water

ST. LOUIS — As the Mississippi River and its tributaries retreated Saturday from historic winter levels that flooded towns, forced evacuations and killed two dozen people, residents in the St. Louis area were facing a massive cleanup and recovery effort that will likely last weeks.

“The healing process, the restoration process has begun,” Chris Greenhagen, associate pastor of Central Baptist Church in Eureka, Mo., one of the communities hit by flooding along the Meramec River last week, said.

The flood, fueled by more than 10 inches of rain over a three-day period that began last weekend, is blamed for 24 deaths in Illinois and Missouri. Illinois Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Patti Thompson said the state’s flooding death toll increased to nine. Fifteen have died in Missouri.

Water from the Mississippi, Meramec and Missouri rivers largely began receding Friday in the St. Louis area. Two major highways — Interstate 44 and Interstate 55 — reopened south of St. Louis on Friday, and some evacuees were also allowed then to return home.

On Saturday, while residents took stock of the ruin, President Barack Obama signed a federal emergency declaration for Missouri that allows federal aid to be used to help state and local response efforts. It also allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon had asked for the help.

Nixon and Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner also toured flood-ravaged areas as near-record crest predictions of the Mississippi River and levee breaks threatened more homes.

Rauner encouraged people to respect requests to evacuate.