CHICAGO — The nation's midsection, which was for months parched by severe drought, suddenly finds itself contending with the opposite: severe flooding that has forced evacuations, slowed commercial barge traffic down the Mississippi River and left farmers with submerged fields during a crucial planting time.
The flooding, driven in part by rainfall of as much as eight inches in some places last week, has affected a remarkably wide stretch in states along swollen rivers in the Midwest.
The deaths of at least three people have been linked to the flooding in the past week, officials said.
"It's so pervasive," said Gov. Pat Quinn of Illinois, who flew in a helicopter to survey the scope of damage to his state the other day. He recalled seeing an "ocean" beneath him.
Other sights he has seen: basement after basement where household items floated, ruined; sneakers bobbing through a flooded school.
"It is heartbreaking how many people suffered damage," he said.
In parts of Missouri, towns along the swollen Mississippi River on Thursday continued to brace for high waters, creating sandbag levees and makeshift barriers. In Chicago's suburbs and towns in Indiana and Michigan, residents were assessing the costs of damage already left behind in scores of soggy homes, cars and businesses. And in Fargo, N.D., officials were activating an elaborate preparation system and placing hundreds of thousands of sandbags to protect the city against the looming possibility of flooding as snow melts near the Red River.
It seemed a sudden, dizzying reversal for a region that had since last summer been contending with a drought that left water supplies in doubt, farm fields shriveled and water levels along the Mississippi River so low as to threaten, at times, to close down commercial traffic. By Thursday, because of high waters — and more than 100 barges that broke loose from their moorings near St. Louis over the weekend — portions of the river were, in effect, closed.
"We were just praying for rain three months ago, and now we'll pray for less," said Colin Fogarty, a lieutenant and a spokesman for the United States Coast Guard. "It's somewhat ironic. The conditions are so different, but the results, in a way, are the same."
Officials said recent flooding had certainly helped solve lingering dry conditions in some parts of the Midwest, while other areas — particularly west of the Mississippi — were still contending with a serious drought.
All that water and mud have left farmers in the region unable to plant much corn yet, though the planting season would typically be under way by now. For people like Jeff Miller, who farms land southwest of Peoria, Ill., the turn of events has been more painful. Last summer, he struggled at times to supply water to his cattle. By Thursday, he was facing hundreds of acres of flooded crop land — some of which he and others had successfully defended with sandbags until just a few days ago, until the water broke over the top.
"Initially, my thoughts were, hey, maybe the drought is broken, things are looking up," Mr. Miller recalled. "Then a couple days later it's going the other direction. It's quite a mental event."
The Midwest has seen its share of flooding over the years, and for some towns near the largest rivers, the preparations have grown almost routine. "We're ready," Doyle Parmer of tiny Dutchtown, Mo., said Thursday, describing the concrete barriers and sandbags quickly erected to block the waters. In the last two decades, Mr. Parmer said, Dutchtown has braced for the rising Mississippi five times.
And in Fargo, the city has prepared for major floods year after year. Filling sandbags has become almost a rite of passage for students at local schools. In recent days, weather experts predicted that the Red River might not rise as high as had been predicted only days before, offering some comfort in Fargo.
But some among its weary residents were skeptical. "This is our fourth big flood in five years, and people are getting tired of this," said Dennis Walaker, the mayor. "But I wouldn't want to be in this town if we were to lose the fight. We make the preparations and do what's necessary."
Elsewhere, the flooding came more suddenly and with little warning. In Grand Rapids, Mich., the Grand River rose to a record level, officials said, forcing evacuations. People in at least one downtown building said they were able to watch fish float by their windows. Boat rescues were made from homes. "It was touch and go," said Greg Sundstrom, the city manager.
In Kokomo, Ind., floodwaters rose higher than in recent memory, and nearly 150 homes and a dozen businesses were damaged, as was a senior center. And in Des Plaines, Ill., 800 homes and businesses were affected, and 60 people had to be rescued from rising waters.
Throughout the Midwest, the question now left for many — particularly farmers — was what lay ahead. More flooding? More drought? Officials at the National Weather Service said the outlook appeared less ominous than a year ago when drought was looming. Normal levels of rainfall and temperatures slightly higher than normal are predicted for the Midwest in the next three months.
"You just have to wait and see," said Mr. Miller, who said he was not yet sure what would come of his waterlogged fields. "Things can change fast, so you try not to stress out. What else can you do?"
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