To the south of us, the Mississippi river is on the rise and threatening to hit record levels.

To save towns in Missouri, the Army Corps of Engineers has blown levees - flooding thousands of acres of farmland.

Kendis Gibson reports from Missouri that the national guard raced to save a 93-year-old woman when floodwaters washed out a Missouri road.  One of the guardsmen pulled her out of her sinking car ... and brought her to safety.

Residents are evacuating all along the Mississippi river in Missouri and southern Illinois as the water rises. Hundreds have gone to local shelters.

"It was a spur of the moment thing ... no one was ready or prepared for this at all," said Kieva Ellis.  She and her child are from Cairo, Illinois; a town that appears to have been spared after the army corps of engineers blasted holes in a levee on the river diverting flood waters into farm land.

More blasting was done down river in New Madrid.  The huge explosions opened up the levees - letting more water escape.

The immediate threat in this area is over, but the worst could be ahead for people living further downstream.

Army Engineers say more levee blasts may be necessary.

Days of rain are pushing the Mississippi to record levels.   The rising water is now heading south ... towns and cities in Tennessee and Mississippi are bracing for would could be the worst flooding since the 1930's.

Residents are loading up sandbags and bringing them to homes in low lying areas.  Some are saying, "Prepare for the worst but expect the best."

The river is expected to crest in Memphis, Tennessee a week from Wednesday.

The federal government is promising aid to farmers whose land is now underwater after the intentional breech.

(Story courtesy CBS News.)

KHQA will continue to follow this story as it develops, so check this story later.

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