DES MOINES (Iowa), June 14: Iowa’s biggest cities were submerged on Saturday after swollen rivers forced thousands of residents to flee their homes amid devastating floods in the Midwestern US state.

Unprecedented flooding covered hundreds of city blocks in Cedar Rapids as officials urged residents to limit their water use to drinking, according to the municipality’s website.

In the state capital Des Moines, population 200,000, public works crews and Iowa National Guard soldiers raced to build a berm after a levee breached in the early hours of Saturday.

The University of Iowa, based in Iowa City, cancelled classes until June 22 as the flood threatened its dorms, research facilities, library and art museum.

The university urged employees to work from home if possible or consider volunteering in the emergency relief efforts.

“This has been a very trying week for our state,” Iowa Governor Chet Culver said in a statement. “Responding to a crisis like this takes the cooperation of everyone, from the federal government down to the local communities.” Extreme weather has left at least 15 dead and thousands homeless in the state in recent days, said Bret Voorhees, spokesman for the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Five others were killed in other parts of the Midwestern United States.

Two people were killed by floodwaters in Indiana and two delivery people drowned on Sunday when their car fell off a washed out road into a flooded creek, the National Weather Service said.

Another person was killed on Wednesday when a tornado ripped through the town of Chapman, Kansas. —AFP