( CNN ) -- An inch of rain does n't sound like a lot . But in parts of the flooded Midwest , it 's enough to make a bad situation worse . In Illinois on Tuesday , residents braced for the extra inch , which will delay any reduction in floodwaters that have ravaged dozens of counties , forcing thousands of residents from their homes . As rivers across the heartland swelled during the past two weeks , rising water was blamed for four deaths . Flooding threatens rivers in Illinois , Missouri , Iowa , Indiana , North Dakota , Mississippi and Michigan , according to the National Weather Service . Along the mighty Mississippi , flood watches stretch as far south as Louisiana . Although flooding is expected all along the river , experts do n't expect the catastrophic levels of two years ago , when levees were breached . The flooding was so grave in 2011 that authorities purposely flooded thousands of square miles of Louisiana to spare city centers . Residents in North Dakota are bracing for flooding , too , as the overflowing Red River flows toward Fargo . The city has begun a three-day push to truck sandbags into low-lying areas . Police cars are escorting the semi-trailer trucks as they head to the locations , CNN affiliate KVLY reported . Conditions could get worse : Additional rain could speed up the melting of snow , making the river rise even faster . Starlynn Winchell stared Tuesday as the Illinois River rushed up against her home in Spring Bay , Illinois . `` The more I see the water come up , the more I 'll cry , '' she said . At least six rivers in northern Illinois have surged to record levels in recent days after the area was deluged with 5 inches of rain . Flooding in Illinois alone has displaced thousands and prompted Gov . Pat Quinn to declare 44 counties as disaster areas . In Peoria , residents may have narrowly missed a crisis . The Illinois River is forecast to crest Tuesday afternoon at 29.4 feet , a record height . At 30 feet , the water would have topped a levee at a sewage treatment plant -- sending raw sewage spilling into the river . The good news is the flooding wo n't be as bad because of last year 's drought . `` Experts told us the drought might have helped us a little bit , '' said Patti Thompson , a spokeswoman with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency . `` We did have so much more capacity for the water to be absorbed into the ground . '' Thompson said the state was in variety of stages of dealing with the high water . Some counties were seeing water starting to recede and could start cleanup , while others were working feverishly to strengthen protection measures . Those areas expect to see rising river levels for the next several days , she said . Missouri Gov . Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency there after many areas of the state were stricken by flash flooding . `` The sustained periods of heavy rainfall ( have ) swollen creeks and streams and is pushing the Mississippi River over flood levels , endangering river communities , '' Nixon said . Winchell , the Spring Bay resident , said her northern Illinois town of fewer than 500 has been devastated . The deluge in her trailer community began Sunday , she said , when floodwaters submerged her home and about 40 others . By Monday , dark , murky water had risen to some homes ' doorsteps . Flooding has cut Winchell off from access to her home . `` Yesterday , I cried all day , '' she said . Brad Lohman , who owns a bar in the town , was also hit hard . `` It 's kind of emotional to see this situation , and it 's a bad deal , '' he said , looking at the waters that rose close to window level . Lohman worked at the bar when he was a teenager and eventually bought it . But this flood may be the end . He doubts he can reopen . `` I think it 's going be a total loss , '' he said , `` I really do . '' The rain and flooding caused three deaths last week and a fourth Sunday , local authorities and news media reported . In DuPage County , Illinois , a body was found floating in Salt Creek last week , the local sheriff 's office said . Authorities were working to identify it . A woman in De Soto , Missouri , drowned last week after her vehicle washed off a road , CNN affiliate KSDK reported . Two fatalities were reported in Arcadia , Indiana . On Thursday , a 64-year-old man died after attempting to cross high water in his car . The water swept him off a roadway and dragged him downstream , Hamilton County Sheriff 's Office said . CNN 's Jim Spellman contributed to this report .
Illinois : An official says flooding would have been worse if not for rain . Rain caused a reduction in water levels in areas hit hard by flooding . Fargo , North Dakota , is blamed for flooding . The rain and flooding have caused four deaths , local authorities and news media say .