Swollen Mississippi moves toward St. Louis

ST. LOUIS, June 19 (UPI) -- The Mississippi River spread its watery destruction Thursday surging over nearly a dozen levees in the St. Louis area, submerging vast areas of farmland.

Emergency crews prepared to fight on another front. The National Weather Service predicted up to 2 inches of rain Thursday for some parts of Missouri, The New York Times reported.

The latest levee to yield was in Elsberry, Mo., a rural community where officials said about 25 buildings were flooded.

The rain-swollen river is moving toward St. Louis, the next major city in its path. The river widens there, and officials say they expect damage to be minimal. However, concerns were raised about levees protecting East St. Louis, Ill.

Since the flooding began, 20 levees have been breached and up to 30 more are in danger of being overrun, federal officials said.

Damage to farmland throughout the Midwest ranged from 2 million to 5 million acres of crops, which pushed corn prices close to a record price of $8 a bushel Thursday, the Times said.

The surging Mississippi brought horrific news for about 100 farmers and residents in Meyer, Ill., a community in a region of crop and cattle-farming.

"That's all been lost, and it's not going to be replanted this season," Gerald Jenkins, general manager of Ursa Farmers Cooperative, said of the submerged acreage.