The Mississippi Engulfs a Town

This image, released on NASA’s Earth Observatory site, shows the fate of one of many towns inundated by severe flooding in the American Midwest in June. The tops of roofs and trees are all that are visible in the town of Gulfport, Illinois. The Mississippi River breached the levees, at left, swamping the exit ramps leading into Gulfport. This month’s flooding has been the worst to hit many Midwestern states in decades; some scientists believe that changing land use and farming patterns, which have reduced the ability of the soil and wetlands to absorb heavy rains, have exacerbated the flooding.