Midwestern towns were racing this week to strengthen their levee systems as rising rivers enveloped homes, drowned farmland and led to daring water rescues across three states. In Iowa, where hundreds of properties were destroyed, rivers were receding in some places but still rising in others. And in South Dakota, where one death was linked to the floods and some residents were advised to leave their homes, Gov. The Midwest has faced a range of weather extremes over the past several years, including record-breaking floods in 2019, persistent drought and relentless rainstorms this month. As climate change causes the planet to warm, such events will become more common, scientists say.

---

Persons: Kristi Noem, ” Jason Westcott Organizations: National Guard Locations: In Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Union County, S.D