Authorities have confirmed a 14th Missouri flooding victim.
The latest victim was found Wednesday in Crawford County. The Missouri Department of Public Safety spokesman Mike O'Connell said the victim died when a vehicle was swept off a roadway.
All but one of the Missouri victims have died when their vehicles drove into flooded roadways, and searches for missing people are also underway in Polk and Vernon counties.
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Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said he's optimistic the eastern and southern portions of the state will soon recover from devastating flooding, but cautions "we're not over this."
Nixon toured flooded areas near the St. Louis-area community of Pacific on Wednesday afternoon. That came just hours before the Meramec River's scheduled crest at more than 18 feet above flood stage.
Nixon noted that river crests elsewhere were occurring or expected within days, and with no rain in the immediate forecast he hopes the river subside quickly.
Nixon promised tight security at places where there have been evacuations, including in Pacific and in nearby Valley Park, and said he's unaware of any reports of looting.
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Major rivers in flood-prone areas of Missouri and Illinois are creeping toward milestone or near-record crests.
Forecasters said the Mississippi River in St. Louis is expected to crest Thursday evening at 13 feet above flood stage — just six feet below the 1993 record.
Record crests of the Meramec River near the flood-prone St. Louis suburbs of Arnold and Valley Park are expected Thursday or early Friday.
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Floodwaters have limited access in and out of the St. Louis suburb of Valley Park.
The community of about 7,000 residents sits along the fast-rising Meramec River, which is expected to crest Thursday more than 3 feet above its previous record of 40 feet.
The Valley Park Mayor ordered residents in one part of town to evacuate by 10 a.m. Wednesday.
He said that the U.S. Army Corps of engineers say they're confident that the levee built in 2007 will hold, but that the evacuations were done as a precaution.
City attorney Tim Englemeyer asked the governor's office to send National Guard troops to help with security.
