Residents of towns along the Mississippi River were bracing Sunday for ever-rising flood waters, which forecasters warned could be the worst in decades. In Memphis, Tennessee, best known as the home of Elvis Presley, more than 1,000 homes had been evacuated, the Commercial Appeal newspaper said. Some low-lying areas were already under water.
The National Weather Service said the Mississippi River was expected to crest Tuesday in Memphis at a record 14.6 metres, more than 4 metres above flood stage. Flooding was expected to move downstream along the longest US river over the next several weeks.
The worst of the flooding so far has been along the area where the Ohio and Mississippi rivers meet, in the states of Illinois, Missouri and Kentucky.
Forecasters said the floods could be worse than the record-setting ones of 1937 and 1927.