As many as 30 levees at risk in Illinois and Missouri

As floodwaters slowly receded from much of Iowa on Wednesday, authorities focused their attention on a swollen Mississippi River that punched through at least two levees in western Illinois and increasingly threatened hamlets in Missouri.

Federal officials said as many as 30 levees were in peril, mostly in rural stretches of northern Missouri and western Illinois. No large population centers were threatened.

“The concern now is the Mississippi River between the Quad Cities and St. Louis,” said Bob Powers, deputy assistant administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The river is expected to crest Saturday in St. Louis, where flood risk is lessened because the Mississippi widens and meets several tributaries with lower-than-normal water levels. Up to two inches of rain is forecast for parts of Missouri today, and workers along the river were piling up sandbags.

“We’re anticipating the worst and preparing for the worst,” said Terri Durdaller, a spokeswoman for the state’s Office of Homeland Security.

In Clarksville, about 75 miles north of St. Louis, floodwaters swamped about 30 buildings even though residents had erected a makeshift, barrier along the river.

“If it holds, it’s very fortunate,” emergency manager Mike Russell said. “If it doesn’t, we’ll be going to Plan B. I don’t know what that is, we’ve had so many Plan Bs.”

Federal officials said two levees were breached Wednesday, though Ellen Vonderheide of the Adams County Emergency Management Agency in western Illinois said the river had torn holes through three.

The floods began last week in eastern Iowa as rain-swollen rivers swamped Cedar Rapids, along with several other cities and farming towns. On Wednesday, residents were still barred from Cedar Rapids and were only slowly being allowed to return to neighboring towns.

Several were frustrated that they couldn’t get back to their homes faster. Paul Grootin’s hands shook as he laid family photographs across the front seat of his truck. He was ferrying heirlooms from his mother’s waterlogged house in Coralville, Iowa.

“I know I should be grateful,” said Grootin, 48. “They keep saying they are moving as fast as they can. I’m not. Mom lost so much. I could have helped more, done more, if I’d been in here sooner.”

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p.j.huffstutter@latimes.com

Huffstutter reported from Cedar Rapids. Times staff writers Nicholas Riccardi and DeeDee Correll in Denver and Nicole Gaouette in Washington contributed to this report.