Weather.com - 4/24/13, AP
Red Cross volunteer Julia Blankenship dishes a plate for Ralph Atherton at a shelter set up at River's Edge United Methodist Church in Spring Bay, Ill. for people effected by the flooding from the Illinois River, Tuesday, April 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Journal Star, David Zalaznik)
PEORIA HEIGHTS, Ill. -- Flood-weary homeowners and sandbaggers across the Midwest are praying for a relenting of rains that have added more water to already swollen rivers blamed for swallowing up neighborhoods, fraying victims' patience along the way.
Even as some of the renegade rivers are showing signs of cresting, the recovery won't be fast or easy. The National Weather Service expects many of the waterways to remain high into next month, straining levees during the river's expectedly slow descent.
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