The federal government said up to 27 levees along the Mississippi River could overflow in the coming days, and one of them already has.
A levee breach in Gulfport, Ill., has closed a bridge connecting it to Burlington, Iowa, on Tuesday.
Most communities near the water in southeastern Iowa have already been sandbagging levees, and in some cases pumping water out of basements as it starts to flood in certain areas.
The Mississippi was expected to crest in the Burlington area Tuesday evening, though it's already more than 10 feet above flood stage.
Through much of central Iowa, attention is turning mainly toward cleanup efforts Tuesday caused by the floodwaters, which have knocked out drinking water and destroyed homes.
The remaining floodwater has the potential to make people sick as sewage mixes with fuel, farm chemicals and anything else the water picks up.
LeRoy Lippert, chairman of emergency management and homeland security in Des Moines County, Iowa, warned people to avoid the floodwaters. He said, "If you drink this water and live, tell me about it."
All manner of refuse could be seen floating down the Cedar River; 55-gallon drums labeled "corrosive," propane tanks, wooden fences and railroad ties.
In addition to the poison in the water, there are mosquitoes -- millions of them spawning in acres of standing water.
More than 36,000 residents in 26 Iowa towns were out of their homes Monday morning, with most of them from around Cedar Rapids.
As some of Iowa's flooded towns began cleaning up, others braced for new flooding risks, particularly in southeastern Iowa along the Mississippi River.
A total of five deaths have been attributed to the floodwaters.
President George W. Bush will get the rundown on the severity of damage brought by heavy flooding in the Midwest.
As beleaguered Midwesterners count the cost, Bush plans to fly out Thursday for his own close-up look at the destruction.
Recently returned from an eight-day trip to Europe, the president is catching up on the havoc the deadly floodwaters have wreaked in his absence.
He will get a West Wing briefing from emergency chiefs on the swamping of parts of Iowa and Illinois by the rain-swollen Cedar, Iowa and Mississippi Rivers. Hundreds of homes have been damaged and tens of thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate.
Aides said the president got regular briefings during his European trip.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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