President George Bush is in the flood-ravaged central U.S., where he is
hearing the latest on the devastation and touring two of Iowa's flooded
cities.
Mr. Bush arrived Thursday in Cedar Rapids, in the
central state of Iowa, where he is being briefed by federal, state and
local officials.
The president will then fly over Iowa City,
where heavy rains last week sent rivers surging over their banks.
During his tour of the state, he plans to talk with homeowners affected
by the flooding.
Meanwhile, the swollen section of the Mississippi River continues to travel south and cause water to spill over its banks.
So
far, at least two dozen levees have overflowed or been breached in the
states of Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri, submerging dozens of small
towns and destroying livestock and thousands of hectares of crops,
including corn and wheat.
Experts fear the massive flooding will
cause food prices to soar even higher and create dangerous conditions
caused by the flow of chemicals and raw sewage from damaged factories
and wastewater plants.
Republican presidential candidate John McCain is touring the region Thursday as well.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.