* From a pal in southeastern Illinois…

I know everyone is in amazement when they see flooding waters but the real story is what is left behind (after the media leaves)

This is the damage caused by one of our local levee breaks. This was a level corn field the day before the break.

Wow.

* The governor was in the Metro East today, and just had to do some politicking…

llinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was in Alton Friday, announcing he wanted federal aid for 2,000 Illinoisans displaced by the flood and was seeking state relief.

Blagojevich said the state’s capital bill should be passed, and it could be a vehicle for $29 million in flood relief. He did not specify where the relief would go.

* And this is temporary…

Raging floods usually leave devastation in their wake, but for Governor Rod Blagojevich the rising water in Illinois couldn’t have come at a politically better time.

After mostly staying out of public view, the embattled Blagojevich has been out and about touring water-ravaged areas.

The water, at least for now, seems to have washed away some of the attention usually riveted on Blagojevich’s troubles.

* Things are getting better in Quincy. Here’s an article entitled: “Crest predictions continue to drop, but nobody breathing easy”…

It’s wait-and-see time for the Mississippi River communities battling the flood of 2008 as crest predictions get pushed back, but the fight is far from over.

Crests are predicted for Quincy and surrounding areas Sunday instead of today, as originally forecast by the National Weather Service. The Quincy crest is expected to be 28.8 feet Saturday — more than three feel below earlier forecasts of 31.9 feet — according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Web site.

* Another one: “Flood’s worst seems over“…

As surely as the fat lady sings, the T-shirts came out Thursday at the Quincy sandbagging center.

“More Mighty Than The Mississippi,” read the souvenir shirts that were selling fast at $5 a pop, with a buck going to the Red Cross.

* More…

* Lower crests good news along Mississippi

* City evaluating flood lessons learned

* Rhys Saunders: Quincy better prepared this time around

* Sandbaggers pledge allegiance to the U.S.?

* Governor’s Public Schedule

* Governor’s Public Schedule Part 2

* Levee breaks ease pressure downstream

* Madison County Board creates Flood Protection District

* USDA Working to Assess Flood Impact

* Midwest Flooding: Failure of the Engineering Profession?

* Flood damage in Gulfport ’sickening’

* Pigs who swam through floodwaters killed on levee

* The Unluckiest Town in America