Mississippi River Threatens Historic Flooding

AHN.com Rising waters continue to pose flood risks for thousands. Tornados, heavy rains and rising pressure on the region's waterways are giving scores of people to worry.

Powerful storms and record-breaking rains caused a deluge of of water to spawn heavy flooding in several central and southern states. The rising water and pressure forced the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to explode late Monday evening a levee on the Mississippi River to ease rising waters inundating the town of Cairo.

Nearly 500 National Guard personnel have been deployed to flood-affected areas in Illinois alone.

"There is no way on God's earth that we can control nature," Illinois Governor Pat Quinn said during a visit to the flooded region. "We have to respect nature. And we are going to do our mightiest to make sure that people are safe and sound."

See also: US army blasts holes in Missouri levee to save town from flooding destruction