Aerial View | Small Town Under Water | Clarksville, MO

On Wednesday, floodwaters breached another levee in Illinois, forcing around 50 residents to leave their homes in the western Illinois town of Meyer. Officials were monitoring other levees along the Mississippi River in Illinois and Missouri to see if they would hold against the rising waters.

Where did all this flooding begin? The flooding began in Eastern Iowa, causing more than $1.5 billion in damage. As it moved south, the floods forced thousands of residents from their homes.

On Tuesday, the river also broke through a levee in Gulfport, IL. Authorities had to rescue people by helicopters. boats, and four-wheelers. Lois Russell, an 83-year-old woman watched the flooding of her white farmhouse. She had lived in that house the last 57 years.

Here's a video clip of Clarksville, MO, a historic artists' town of 500 where National Guard members, inmates, and students were sandbagging. The Mayor, Jo Anne Smiley, explains what is going on today.