Floodwaters crest outside St. Louis

. -- Sitting in a lawn chair on dry land watching floodwaters consume his home a stone’s throw away, Dennis Dodson realizes some folks may think it’s irrational to live at the confluence of two rivers.

“We’re kind of a nautical family and like this lifestyle,” he said, looking toward his house, submerged almost past the garage level. “There are no victims in this. We know the chance we take, and it’s worth it to live here.”

As the swollen Meramec River wrought devastation this weekend on communities southwest of St. Louis, Dodson and his neighbors camped out on the shoreline of what became an island.

On Saturday, the Meramec crested here and at several downriver towns at near-record levels and backed up waters into creeks. But the crests were less than expected and downtown mom-and-pop shops and several subdivisions in Eureka were spared.

In nearby Valley Park, a new $50-million levee held. As the Meramec reached its frothy crest of more than 37 feet before noon, much of the town was a picture of calm. Residents walked their dogs and chatted as the river raged behind floodwalls more than four stories high.

Farther downriver in Fenton, days of sandbagging paid off. Fenton’s old downtown held up better than expected, despite the flooding of businesses and several houses.

Upriver in Pacific, more than 200 hundred houses remained flooded even though the Meramec had been receding since midnight Friday. Residents were allowed in Saturday afternoon to inspect their waterlogged homes.

Much of southern Illinois and Missouri are saturated from bearing the brunt of the rains. Damage is in the tens of millions of dollars, authorities from both states say.

Outside Eureka, the Big River -- which locals like to point out flows north, like the Nile -- clashed with the Meramec.

Residents know floodwaters do not discriminate. And they share a common rationalization for living in a flood-prone area.

They see river disasters as relatively rare. After all, there have been just three major floods in a quarter-century, they argue.

Still, they know that when a major event occurs -- like last week’s deluge -- they are in danger.