An unwelcome surprise

Some towns in northeastern Missouri and Illinois got an unwelcome surprise Saturday as river levels rose higher than projected. Forecasters said the Mississippi River would crest several inches higher than expected in Hannibal, Mo., and at Quincy, Ill., where it was set to crest late in the day more than 2 feet below the 1993 flood peak. "We're confident we can hold that and not have any issues," said Adams County's emergency management chief, John Simon. "It'll be another sigh of relief, but it's not over yet. We're not out of the water yet, no pun intended."

In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, displaced residents were allowed to return home Friday to the hardest-hit neighborhood. The water ruined everything on Marc Holley's first floor, rearranging furniture and leaving behind mud, mold and a thick stench. "The smell is almost like a rotting corpse," he said. "I almost wish it had been a tornado instead, so we could sift through everything and just start over."

The floods have drained the American Red Cross' disaster relief fund, already tapped by several natural disasters this spring, The charity says it is preparing to borrow funds to pay for the shelters, food and other emergency supplies that it is providing in six Midwestern states. Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the charity borrowed $430 million to cover its relief costs. "We're not going to stop or reduce our service delivery," said spokeswoman Laura Howe.

NEWS SERVICES