In our aussie paper today
Floods force thousands from homes
IOWA'S biggest cities were submerged today after swollen rivers forced thousands of residents to flee their homes amid devastating floods in the Midwestern US state.
Unprecedented flooding covered hundreds of city blocks in Cedar Rapids as officials urged residents to limit their water use to drinking, according to the municipality's website.
In the state capital, Des Moines, population 200,000, public works crews and Iowa National Guard soldiers raced to build a berm - a narrow ledge along the top of a slope - after a levee breached in the early hours today.
From the air, just the tops of some trees were visible in the mud-brown waters.
The swollen rivers that line the state swamped fields and covered roads and bridges. Only bridges and tree lines hinted at the original banks.
The University of Iowa, based in Iowa City, cancelled classes until June 22 as the flood threatened its dorms, research facilities, library and art museum.
The university urged employees to work from home if possible or consider volunteering in the emergency relief efforts.
"This has been a very trying week for our state,'' Iowa Governor Chet Culver said in a statement.
"Responding to a crisis like this takes the cooperation of everyone, from the federal government down to the local communities.''
Extreme weather has left at least 15 dead and thousands homeless in the state in recent days, said Bret Voorhees, spokesman for the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Five others were killed in other parts of the US Midwest.
Two people were killed by floodwaters in Indiana and two delivery people drowned when their car fell off a washed out road into a flooded creek, the National Weather Service said.
Another person was killed on Wednesday when a tornado ripped through the town of Chapman, Kansas.
The disaster began when a major tornado struck on May 25.
It was followed by heavy rains, with more thunderstorms expected this weekend, and on Wednesday another twister touched ground in western Iowa, killing four boy scouts.
Serious flooding has hit the entire region, including parts of South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas and was expected to continue through next week.