Mandatory evacuation issued for part of Howard County

PETERSBURG, Mo. (AP) - Officials have issued a mandatory evacuation order for some residents of a central Missouri county where the Missouri River has topped a levee.

KRCG reports Howard County emergency management co-director Bill John said the levee near Petersburg is expected to fail soon.

The evacuation includes residents in Franklin, New Franklin and essentially all of the Missouri River bottom from Petersburg to Rocheport.

Also, levees in rural areas of a northeast Missouri county were overtopped Thursday, flooding several thousand acres of farmland.

Lewis County Emergency Management Director David Keith said the levees are near Union and Gregory townships, which are across the Mississippi River from Quincy, Illinois.

Keith said no homes or businesses were impacted and he was not aware of any fatalities or injuries from the flooding.