The heavy rain caused the waters of the Mississippi River to rise and threaten residents leaving near them. The situation already prompted residents and authorities as well to prepare for evacuations in what may be the worst flooding in 15 years, the Associated Press reported.

Officials are preparing to evacuate residents in Cedar Falls, Iowa, as the Cedar River will most likely spill over a levee. Officials expect the Cedar River to reach a record level of 103 feet overnight, said hydrologist Ben Luna of the National Weather Service's North Central River Forecast Center in Chanhassen, Minn.

The water levels of the rivers in the states of Indiana and Missouri are under strict monitoring by officials as well. The powerful storms already destroyed three homes in Wisconsin and left more than 180,000 homes and businesses in Michigan without electricity.

But until the evacuation warning is issued, the people threatened by the rising waters are fighting them with all they’ve got. Students worked together to pile sandbags along the Iowa River on Tuesday in order to stop the water from inundating the university campus of the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

"It's truckload after truckload of sandbags," university groundskeeper Joel Bishop told USA Today.

The massive flood already made some considerably damage. In Waterloo, a railroad bridge used to transport tractors from a John Deere factory to Cedar Rapids was swept away. The city had to shut down its downtown and close five bridges.

About 50 to 75 square miles of farmland were flooded along the Embarras River in southeastern Illinois, USA Today reported. Northeast of Lawrenceville, the water level reached the roofs of the houses which residents were forced to leave, said Lawrence County Sheriff Russell Adams.

Most residents in Elnora, Indiana, also left their homes before the White River creeped upward.