the Mississippi River – raging at all-time flood highs or near them – devoured thousands of acres of prime farmland. At least nine levees were overrun Wednesday alone and more than 20 in recent days.

From the air, the river looks like a churning sea, swallowing acres and acres of farmland while sweeping over levees and pounding them into submersion. Only the tops of some farmhouses and trees are visible in the worst-hit areas, where the water is already at least 10 feet deep and getting deeper every minute.

At least 19 Illinois counties were declared disaster areas and some 1,100 National Guard troops were on the front lines fighting the floods.

Across the river in Missouri, at least seven levees broke Wednesday between St. Louis and the border, creating havoc in small towns and shutting down roads.

In Washington, the White House and a bipartisan group in the House reached agreement on a war-funding bill that also would provide $2.6 billion in additional disaster aid to replenish accounts already being tapped to deal with the terrible flooding across the Midwest, The Associated Press reported.

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