The New York Times reports,  The swollen Mississippi River surged over nearly a dozen levees in the St. Louis area and flooding vast areas of farmland, as the region’s growing crisis pushed corn and soy prices toward record levels. The runaway river claimed one Missouri town late Wednesday night when it broke a levee in Winfield, just outside of St. Louis, leaving a 150-foot hole, deluging the small community and sending a surge of water downstream toward the next levee. Crews of firefighters spent the night evacuating residents, in some cases by boat, as workers fought to contain the river further south.

St. Louis is the next major city in the path of the surging river, which is expected to crest at 40 feet there on Saturday.

takepart and donate to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

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Mississippi Surges Over Nearly a Dozen Levees
U.S. Corn Soars to Record as Crop Flooded
Mississippi River threatens more Midwest levees

Flood victims in the Midwest are worried about what’s in the water they’re wading through, and concerns over its potential for creating sickness and disease are mounting. Not only has the flood contaminated drinking water and forced people out of their homes, but reports of all manner of noxious refuse have been seen floating in the water in downtown Cedar Rapids, including propane tanks, drums labeled corrosive, railroad ties, pesticides, and dead birds and fish. In addition to the poisoned water, millions of mosquitoes are spawning over the stagnant floodwaters.

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It’s May 16th, I’m Gina Telaroli and this is TakePart.com’s look at the week in social action…

Storms continue to ravage the midwest as a tornado tore through a 20-block swath of Picher late Saturday afternoon, killing at least seven people. The same storm system then moved into southwest Missouri taking the lives of at least 12 others. Then today, those storms moved through Georgia, killing at least one person.

Georgia Power officials say at least 80,000 residents are without electricity across the state, mostly concentrated in the metro Atlanta area and the Macon area.

and visit http://www.redcross.org/ to see how you can help the Red Cross help tornado victims. Also check out their guide about how to prepare for a tornado.

The devastating cyclone that hit Myanmar on Saturday May 3rd has left over 22,000 people dead and over 40,000 missing. Here are 10 places you can donate to support the disaster relief:

1) American Red Cross- The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has also released an initial $189,000 and shipped shelter kits, made up of tarps, ropes and hammers, to support the relief effort in Myanmar. Additionally, the American Red Cross is prepared to respond with financial aid, estimated at $100,000, to aid cyclone survivors.

2) Oxfam International - Oxfam has committed more than $725,000 in aid to the Myanmar delta region.

3) Doctors Without Borders - DWB teams are bringing immediate assistance to Myanmar while additional staff and relief materials are ready to be sent.

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Three disastrous tornadoes ripped through the Norfolk, Virginia area yesterday afternoon. The twisters, which touched down between 4:30 and 5:00PM, are, at last count, responsible for at least 200 injuries and have caused massive destruction to houses, businesses and property in the region. Thankfully and remarkably no fatalities have been reported thus far as a result of the disaster.

You can watch video coverage of the tornadoes from the Weather Channel by clicking here—->:

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Grammy-Award winning pop country group Rascal Flatts’s latest music video “Everday” aims to raise awareness for the American Red Cross. Check it out here:

and visit redcross.org for ways to get involved.