Sandbagging efforts took place in the small town of St. Mary after a levee broke Thursday night, threatening the city with flooding.

Floodwaters are rising all over Missouri, southern Illinois, eastern Oklahoma and Arkansas, pushing residents from their homes. At least 28 people have been killed from impacts on the rainy side of this storm system. Many rivers, including the Mississippi, have yet to crest in some areas, and as those waterways continue to swell, the danger only grows.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon activated the National Guard on Tuesday to support emergency personnel and protect communities from the historic winter floods.

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Up and down the Mississippi River, one of several rivers rising rapidly across the region, crews worked quickly to prepare sandbags and check levees to ensure they were ready to lessen the effects of the flooding, however possible.

"This is probably one of the earliest (times) we've seen flooding on the Mississippi River," said Marty Pope, senior service hydrologist with the National Weather Service office in Jackson, Mississippi, during a Monday news conference with Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant. The governor declared a state of emergency Wednesday afternoon for areas expected to experience flooding.

Here's what we know about the flooding impacts across several states.

Missouri

Saturday President Barack Obama signed a declaration officially proclaiming an emergency in Missouri due to the flooding, according to The Associated Press. This allows federal aid for state and local response efforts and authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster relief.

A levee break in St. Mary threatened homes in the town Friday morning, AP reports. The levee, located about 40 miles south of St. Louis in Ste. Genevieve County, broke Thursday night.

Early Friday morning crews were called out to a water rescue in St. Charles County. Around 2:25 a.m. three people were removed from a vehicle that had become trapped by floodwaters on Highway 67. Authorities report that everyone made it out safely.

More than four dozen water rescues took place in the city of Eureka alone, where the Meramec River was overflowing, reports AP. One of those rescues in the town located southwest of St. Louis was a man and his dog who were trapped on the roof of their home as it washed away. They were pulled to safety after several terrifying minutes that were broadcast on live television.

Missouri Bottom Road is closed until further notice due to emergency fixes on a crack in the road . The damage extends from Tulip Road to Saint Louis Mills Boulevard. Public work officials say the crack will become much worse if it doesn't get repaired soon.

For the second time since the flooding began, a water treatment plant had to be shut down Thursday because of floodwaters. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the second sewage treatment plant to close was located in Valley Park . With the plant closed, untreated sewage was flowing directly into the river, the report added. The first closure occurred Tuesday, according to the AP.

A boil order was issued in High Ridge Thursday morning by the Public Supply Water District #2. The order was issued the day after a water plant was impacted by flooding. People living in the impacted area are instructed to bring water to a rolling boil for at least three minutes before drinking it or cooking with it.

In the town of Valley Park, officials ordered a mandatory evacuation of the levee-protected area Wednesday morning for fears that the flooding may overtop the levee system. Mayor Michael Pennise said the levee was not breached, and engineers did not fear a breach in that area. The area will remain evacuated until water levels recede, he added.

In total, at least nine levees have been topped by water, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told the AP. Most of those were earthen levees that protect farmland, not towns, the report added.

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In Branson, about 100 homes and 55 duplexes were evacuated Wednesday morning due to rising floodwaters at Lake Taneycomo, the AP reported. Branson Fire Chief Ted Martin said there have been no injuries from flooding in the city so far.

Late Tuesday morning, the Mississippi River had begun to overtop levees just north of West Alton, Missouri, St. Charles County EMA reported . Officials were directing residents of West Alton to evacuate immediately. A flash flood warning issued by the National Weather Service said the floodwaters could inundate much of the area in and near West Alton. The levee breach occurred in an area about 20 miles north of St. Louis.

The identities of five international soldiers killed by flooding Saturday night in Pulaski County have been identified , according to Army Times.

Maj. Mohammad Hassan Ibrahim, 32, of Egypt

Maj. Akram Abu Al-rub, 38, of Jordan

Capt. Ahmed Moussouni, 32, of Algeria

Capt. Ahmed Abdelghani, 29, of Egypt

Capt. Hasman Hussin, 33, of Malaysia

The men were killed when their car was swept off the road by floodwaters heading back to Fort Leonard Wood from Osage Beach, the report added.

"The men were in a program that brings troops from other countries to the installation to study engineering, military policing and chemical defense," wrote Army Times.

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According to Long, two others were killed in the county by flooding on Saturday night. Long has identified the two victims of the first incident as 53-year-old Ron Gray, and 50-year-old Sandra Tilley, both of Dixon.

In Lawrence County, 37-year-old Christopher A. Sperandio was killed when his car was swept away by flooding. His body was recovered Tuesday, the Missouri State Highway Patrol told the AP.

Two additional fatalities were confirmed in Greene County on Saturday, according to emergency management. They were identified as Steven Welton, 42, and Edward Kammerer, 60. Welton drowned in a creek when his car was washed off the road on Saturday, the Missouri Highway Patrol told the AP. Kammerer, a tow truck driver, was electrocuted by a downed power line while he attempted to retrieve a vehicle that had gone off the roadway, Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management executive director Chet Hunter said.

Kevin Lee, 53, was killed in Douglas County Sunday night when he was swept away while attempting to bring cattle to higher ground, the NWS reported.

A storm-related death was reported in Dallas county, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol Col. Carl Johnson.

There has been one storm-related death in Jasper County , officials confirmed to the Joplin Globe. Christopher William Forman, 30, of Erie, Kansas, was found dead in the Spring River near the area where his truck was washed off the road, Sgt. John Lueckenhoff told the Joplin Globe.

MoDOT reported that all interstates in Missouri have been reopened as of Friday.

With 11.15 inches reported by noon Monday, the NWS said Springfield has clinched its wettest December on record, breaking a 120-year-old record.

Illinois

Authorities urged residents living behind the Len Small levee in southern Illinois to move to higher ground after water from the Mississippi River began topping it, according to The Associated Press. On Saturday local police announced the levee had been breached. The levee protects the towns of Olive Branch, Hodges Park and Unity. In total, there is a population of about 500 people.

The NWS Paducah office reported that water overtopped a levee in Alexander County Saturday and a portion of a levee in Jackson County near Grand Tower is in danger of failing.

Alexander County Board Chairman Chalen Tatum issued an emergency evacuation order Friday.

South of Cape Girardeau, the Mississippi River has already set a record at Thebes, Illinois, by nearly 2 feet. The river level is forecast to stay at record level into early this week before gradually subsiding.

With this stretch of the river expected to remain in major flood into much of the week ahead, well after the crest, concern is high about the stressed levee system. A flash flood watch has been issued by the National Weather Service for parts of southern Illinois, including Alexander, Jackson and Union Counties.

Three historic sites in Illinois have been closed by the flooding, AP also reports. The state's Historic Preservation Agency said Fort de Chartres, Fort Kaskaskia and Pierre Menard Home were closed in Randolph County, about 40 miles south of St. Louis, because the flooding made the grounds unsafe.

Gov. Bruce Rauner issued a disaster declaration for seven counties overnight Tuesday. In central and southern Illinois, several rivers reported major flooding, and shelters were opened to house the evacuees.

One of those shelters was a church basement in Granite City, where 30 residents of a flooded trailer park were told it could be 10 to 12 days before they'd be allowed to go home, the AP reported.

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At least nine people have been killed in Illinois by flooding, as officials confirmed two more deaths Wednesday morning.

Christian County officials confirmed the bodies of a man and woman were recovered Tuesday morning in floodwaters about 6 miles east of Edinburg. They were trying to cross a flooded area when their minivan was swept away, the report added. The State Journal-Register identified the victims as Cindy Dexheimer, 46, and Robert E. Gordon II, 49.

A southern Illinois coroner says two adults and three children have drowned after the vehicle they were riding in was swept away and sank in a rain-swollen creek. WSIL-TV identified the victims as husband Adam Schutt, wife Erin and children Logan, Robbyn and Chad. Their ages were not released.

Marion County Coroner Troy Cannon says the swift-moving East Fork Creek carried the car off a low-water bridge about 7:30 p.m. Saturday near the town of Patoka, about 60 miles east of St. Louis.

The car became lodged 150 to 200 feet downstream, but shortly after the first firefighter arrived on the scene it was dislodged and sank. Cannon says dive teams recovered the car from the water several hours later and the bodies of the victims from the car.

Cannon said the vehicle was traveling from Elkton, Kentucky, to Minnesota.

The Illinois Emergency Management agency confirmed an 8th flooding death in the state on Thursday, but no further details were available.

Emergency Management also reported that the two teenagers said to be missing were found dead. Divers searched flooded areas where one of the teen's cellphones were traced. The pickup truck they were last seen in was pulled from floodwaters Thursday. One teen's body was found Thursday and the second teen was found Sunday morning.

Arkansas

Gov. Asa Hutchinson expanded a disaster declaration Tuesday night to cover 21 counties to help those affected by recent flooding and tornadoes in the Natural State, KSLA.com reported. On Wednesday, he expanded that declaration to cover another 11 counties.

The Pope County Sheriff's Office said one person was killed by flooding over the weekend in the county. The victim was identified as James Evan LaRue, from Dover.

Two others have been killed by the rainy impacts of this storm system, the Arkansas State Patrol said. Tommy Cook Jr., 66, died in a car accident that was blamed on wet roads Saturday morning in Faulkner County. A day later, 29-year-old Salvador Gaspar died in a two-car collision in Sevier County, officials confirmed.

Forecasters warn major flooding will occur along the Arkansas River, especially in Dardanelle, Morrilton, Pine Bluff, Toad Suck and Pendleton, the AP reported. The river crested in Dardanelle early Wednesday about 8 feet above flood stage, the report added.

Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Medical Examiner's Office announced Tuesday evening that two deaths in eastern Oklahoma are likely related to the flooding brought by the warm side of Winter Storm Goliath. According to OME spokesman Eddie Johnson, the likely drowning victims are 54-year-old Melissa Phillips of Bixby, and 36-year-old Darrell Sennett, whose pickup truck was swept off of a Pittsburg County road.

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The National Weather Service said roads and residences are at risk of flooding through Wednesday after dam operators reported the floodgates would increase releases, causing additional rises in water level downstream on the Grand Neosho River east of Choteau downstream to the headwater of Fort Gibson Lake.

Southeast of Tulsa, the Illinois River near Tahlequah rose well above its banks on Monday morning, flooding everything nearby.

No injuries have been reported yet from the Illinois River flooding, but families who live nearby have either evacuated or are prepared to do so , KTUL.com reported.

"Treat this with respect. This is a dangerous event, this is a potentially life-threatening event and we want to make sure that people that takes this as seriously as it really is," Scott Pettus, Cherokee County emergency manager, told KTUL.com.

Customers of Altus Water were asked to conserve water for 24 hours on Saturday due to a power failure at Tom Steed Reservoir, according to Altus Emergency Management.

Kansas

Hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes as floodwaters invaded southeastern Kansas.

Cherokee County Sheriff David Groves told the AP crews had performed 22 water rescues since the weekend, but no major injuries were reported. They've evacuated about 200 homes in the county, he also said, including about 80 in the town of Baxter Springs, which was damaged by a tornado in April 2014, the AP added.

In that town, several homes were almost completely submerged, with water up to their roofs, Groves said.

"It's difficult to see that, and it's going to be difficult for residents to cope with that and go forward," he told the AP.

Tennessee

A press release from the Shelby County Office of Preparedness announced that the water from the Mississippi River has been rising and affecting Memphis and Shelby County neighborhoods.

Emergency responders have been sent to inspect areas such as Mud Island, where high water has been spotted near homes on Running River Place, River Landing Drive, Harbor Isle Circle North and Marina Cottage Drive.

“We’re closely monitoring these areas along with law enforcement officers and fire department companies. Right now, all main roads are open. Still, people need to be on the lookout. We don’t want anyone trapped by high water,” said Office of Preparedness director Dale Lane.

The Memphis Office of Emergency Management is coordinating with the Office of Preparedness for flood response efforts, according to the release. Monday the city of Memphis will barricade Second Street from Whitney and Mud Island Drive, as well as the access road to the Stiles Water Treatment Plant.

Arkansas

Though water has begun to recede along the Arkansas River , a flood warning remains in effect, according to KARK 4. As of Sunday morning, the river had reached 24.6 feet in Little Rock, 46.2 feet in Pine Bluff and 33.7 feet in Dardanelle. Levels are expected to progessively drop throughout the week.