Midwest floodwaters falling

Levees on the cresting Mississippi River held yesterday as the worst US Midwest flooding in 15 years began to ebb, but multibillion-dollar costs from major crop losses and other damage may last years as may effects on world food prices.

Water levels on the river receded for the second straight day as mostly clear weather gave saturated areas a chance to start draining. Forecasts for similar dry weather in coming days gave further encouragement.

The swollen river was expected to crest today in St Louis at 11.9 metres, 3.3 metres below the record set in 1993 and a level considered "manageable," said US Army Corps of Engineers St Louis District spokesman Alan Dooley.

"The crest in the areas up the Mississippi River in the district has passed," Mr Dooley said. "The water is still up very high and it is up against levees."

There were no fresh levee breaks reported yesterday. At least three dozen levees, berms and other flood barriers have been overtopped along the Mississippi in the last two weeks as the run-off from torrential rains this month pushed south along the main US inland waterway.

Several flood warnings remained in effect for communities in Missouri and Illinois, but officials said they expected the worst was over, with the focus now shifting to clean-up.