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Severe flooding in Midwest

Forecasters expect flooding to persist through the week in the Cincinnati region, and authorities said Monday that will hinder efforts to assess damage.

The National Weather Service said the Ohio River crested Sunday and was still well above flood stage Monday. Sunday’s peak was more than 8 feet (2.4 meters) above flood stage and the highest crest since 1997.

Monday commutes were complicated by closed roads east of Cincinnati and across the river in northern Kentucky, and some parking lots in downtown Cincinnati were flooded. The Ohio and other rivers caused basement flooding and sewage backups, as well as forcing riverfront businesses to close.

Rivers swollen by heavy rains and melting snow have been a nagging problem for days in the central part of the U.S., with the governors of Missouri, Indiana and Illinois declaring disaster emergencies.

In Michigan, river levels were dropping after flooding last week and over the weekend. In southwestern Michigan, where the body of a 48-year-old man was found in floodwaters Sunday in Kalamazoo, the Kalamazoo River was receding after peaking above a 1947 record. (AP)

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