(NBC NEWS) – It is the start of what will be a very difficult, and in some places, dangerous weekend.
Millions from the Midwest through the northeast are dealing with storms that have caused major flooding that has taken at least three lives.
Thursday, the Mississippi River was so out-of-control, some sections have been closed to water traffic.
“This is the worst that I’ve seen it,” said Barbi Garza of North Little Rock, Arkansas.
Violent storms are spawning tornadoes hail and driving rains in areas already soaked, pushing creeks lakes and rivers past their banks.
Crews and residents scrambled to build sandbag and concrete barriers, but the water is still forcing its way in.
“You can’t seal it up completely, we have seepage, and they got pumps running 24 hours a day,” said Davenport, Iowa resident Dave Cozad.
But there is too much water to pump in many places. Roadways and neighborhoods are flooded from Texas to Michigan.
In some areas, the water coming in so fast the only way out is by boat.
“I think three to four feet within less than ten minutes.” Said Rebecca Nicke of Davenport.
Davenport, Iowa has been swallowed by the Mississippi River. Downtown was washed out.
“In previous years it’s been a little bit but nothing like this. This is crazy,” one Davenport resident said.
Forecasters say the storms will continue to cause problems as they move through the northeast while the cleanup begins in places they’ve already been.
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