Heavy rain, storms cause flood damage to homes in U.S. Midwest

Residents in the United States’ Midwest states are still feeling the effects of flooding, after heavy rainfall and severe thunderstorms occurred in the region last week.

While much of the rainfall events have passed, many rivers in the region are still swollen, and flood warnings are still in effect from Michigan to northern Arkansas and Tennessee, catastrophe modelling firm AIR Worldwide said Monday.

Illinois has been hit hard, with nearly seven inches of rain measured at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport in 24 hours, AIR said.

“Flooding has backed up drainage systems and caused transportation disruptions across the state,” the firm said. “A state of emergency has been issued and by Monday Illinois Governor Pat Quinn had declared 44 counties disaster areas.”

Hundreds of homes and businesses have been evacuated in northern Illinois, where some roadways are reported to be impassable, AIR said. The firm also reported that city workers are responding to about 1,200 flooded basements.

The Des Plaines River in Chicago has also crested 1.5 feet above the all time record of 10.9 feet, the firm said. The  Illinois River at Peoria is also expected to rise this week and crest at 29.9 feet, which would break a record set in 1943 of 28.8 feet, AIR noted.

A state of emergency has also been declared in Missouri, where parts of the Mississippi River are nearing flood stage, AIR said. The river is expected to crest at 35 feet on Tuesday, it added.

There has also been a state of emergency declared in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the firm said. As of Sunday night, the Grand River reached a level of almost 22 feet, surpassing the previous record of 19.6 feet, set in 1985, AIR said.

Flooding occurred after a “persistent weather pattern brought tornadoes, hail, damaging winds, and large quantities of precipitation” early last week and tracked toward the Great Lakes region, AIR said.

Growing concern that spring floods are far from over for Midwest ow.ly/kkIZ0 via @weatherchannel

— RMS (@RMS_News) April 23, 2013

“In addition, a steady stream of warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico ahead of the system provided ample moisture for heavy rains to move over Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and western Kentucky and Tennessee,” AIR noted.

Residential flood coverage in the U.S. typically falls under the National Flood Insurance Program. “The NFIP has been the subject of increasing scrutiny over the years, and it is hoped by some legislators that the current flooding disaster in the U.S. may motivate important changes to this program,” AIR said.

The floods have also delayed the corn and soybean planting season for this year, although AIR noted that it is too early to assess the production risk and potential for losses.