Flood

An Olive Branch, Il. resident tows his belongings through flood waters April 28, 2011. Heavy spring rains caused the Mississippi and Ohio rivers to overflow and flood many southern Illinois towns. Over 200 homes were destroyed during the flood. 

Olive Branch, Il. residents pack sandbags into the night to try to save their homes from the encroaching flood waters. 

Flood waters over take a stop sign in southern Illinois. 

Randy Masterson, left, a retired steel worker, discuses the construction of the levee along the Ohio River, while family and friends of Helen Stilley, owner of the Horseshoe Lake Motel in Olive Branch, Il., take a break from cleaning up the flood damage, to catch their breath and entertain some local children.

Helen Stilley, right, hands James Farrell glass cups that she salvaged from the flooded first floor of her house in Olive Branch, Il. The water receded enough for people to get back into their homes to start the slow process of cleanup.