European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 22, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pago 8 the stars and stripes Midwest flooding thursday july 22,1993 youngsters in Portage Des Sioux mo., find that even a flood has its Bright Side. For Ryan Buchanan left and Andy Shoemaker this City Street has become a giant swim mind Hole. At right St. Louis county Parks department employee Scott Swalls holds onto a Street sign As he Tours the area where the River Des Peres meets the Mississippi  in Des Moines is still wait wait wait by Stephanie Nano the associated press. A Quarter million people in Des Moines Iowa had to make do without tap water again wednesday. In St. Louis workers trying to Shore up a levee were rescued after floodwaters broke through and washed Over a soggy neighbourhood. Residents hoping to Start turning on faucets and Flushing toilets in parts of Des Moines on wednesday morning got bad news a and the blame from mayor John Dorrian who said people were failing to heed warnings to a leave their taps of the earliest that water could begin flowing again would be today said . Mcmullen manager of the City s water Plant. Some 250,000 people have been without tap water since a River overran the water Plant 10 Days ago. Dor Rian said there was a a major drop in water pressure overnight As residents sought to get a jump on water service. The Mississippi River bulged to its second Crest tuesday in As Many Days reaching a record 47.1 feet at St. Louis or More than 17 feet above flood stage. The River hit 46.9 feet sunday night then dropped slightly. Workers were shoring up a breach at the River Des Peres in South St. Louis when sandbags atop the levee gave Way along a one mile stretch tuesday night. A pretty soon they were up to their necks in water a said David Weman a fire battalion chief. The workers were rescued by boat. Police it. Steven Mueller said authorities helped several people leave their Homes but he could not say How Many. A the neighbourhood had been under evacuation orders since the weekend when sandbags washed off the earthen levee. Earlier tuesday emergency workers with bullhorn drove through pleading with holdouts to flee. Quot we re floating on this Block. It went real fast a Melanie Bartnick told the St. Louis Post dispatch. The flooding did not reach her House. At Nightfall some residents sat on their porches in darkness on streets that were still dry. Power and water had been Cut to the area. A few blocks away workers pumped streets covered with 8 to 10 inches of water. The River Des Peres is a Concrete lined storm Drain that has been flooded by Mississippi Backwash. St. Louis was hit with drenching rain tuesday and thunderstorms were expected to soak parts of the Midwest on wednesday. Quot a about 900 households in the Manhattan kan., area were urged to get out tuesday because of water releases from swollen lakes Ana reservoirs upstream Sand baggers were hard at work around town. A a it a us against Mother nature and mama is going to win sometimes a said Chris Larose a Volunteer at a Church. Elsewhere the cleanup continued. A it smells like fish and there a Only one Way to get rid of the smell bleach Pine sol and lots of Elbow grease a said Dorothy Mckinzie owner of an Auto repair shop in Davenport Iowa. Her business was coated with about a Quarter Inch of Mississippi River Bottom. Flooding since the Start of june in the Region has contributed to at least 31 deaths and $10 billion in damage. It has left 16,000 Square Miles of Farmland under water and damaged More than 22,000 Homes. In Des Moines officials said City threats to shut off water customers valves had apparently stopped people from using water while the Mains were filled Ana pressure was restored. But overnight Quot we ended up leveling off a the mayor said. Quot maybe some people decided to get a head Start thinking we were going to be Able to open up and get into operation today a he said. Officials hoped to give the go ahead wednesday for businesses to reopen. After the water system was knocked out july 11, businesses were barred from downtown buildings in part because there was no water for fire sprinklers. Meanwhile officials in new Orleans got so Many Calls from people asking whether Louisiana would be flooded by the surging Mississippi that they held a news conference to assure everyone that there is no danger because the lower Mississippi is much wider and deeper than what lies to the North. Quot we Haven to had any flooding from the River in new say but we can say that about the nver.1panel oks funds to help waterlogged areas Washington a a House a %2s committee at .98 billion in approved emergency aia for midwestern flood victims Ana promised More Money if needed. The spending Bill was to go to the full House today then to the Senate giving Congress a Chance to show whether it can respond quickly to the disaster along the Mississippi Ana Missouri Rivers. Quot we realize that this Aid must be distributed As soon As possible a said rep. Richard a Durbin d-11i., chairman of the House appropriations subcommittee for agriculture. The committee approved the Bill tuesday adding $500 million at president Clinton a request to the amount he asked for last week in Des Moines. Quot we May have additional amounts requested a said rep. William h. Natcher d-ky., chairman of the appropriations committee. Because this is emergency spending it will add to the deficit without Congress having to find offsetting amounts. The Senate appropriations committee will decide when to schedule a hearing after the House acts a committee staffer said. The largest single items in the Bill Are  billion for direct crop losses and $815 million for the Federal emergency management Agency. The Bill Grants an administration request to give More Relief to the hardest hit growers. The Money covers 1993 crop losses elsewhere in the country until aug. 1. Afterwards the Money will be available Only to growers in counties under presidential disaster declarations such As the midwestern counties. The Fema Money goes directly to individuals and families for help with housing and other immediate needs. Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy said last week that the funding should enable growers to receive crop disaster payments within two weeks of making a claim. David Martin a Fema spokesman said the increased funding for the Agency should let it continue providing help. Most help becomes available to individual applicants within Quot a matter of  other amounts in the Bill include $43.5 million for temporary jobs $130 million for repairs to locks dams levees and other flood control works $54 million for repair and renovation of Community health centers and migrant health centers $100 million for Highway and Bridge repair $21 million for restoration of rail service $100 million for housing construction rehabilitation repair Ana rental assistance $300 million for Small Busi Ness Loans and $53 million for disaster related Community development