- President Donald Trump has declared emergencies for 14 states that have had major flood-related disasters.
- Some soybean and corn farms have been unable to plant any crops since their land is underwater.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
30 before and after photos show the devastation from the floods in the Midwest
The Mississippi River has been flooding since February 2019, making it the second longest-lasting flood in the region in 92 years.
The divide between the Mississippi River and land is no longer so clear.
Since February 2019, parts of the Mississippi River have been flooding for months due to heavy snow, rain, and Tropical Storm Barry . It's now the longest-lasting flood since "the great flood" of 1927 .
By the end of July, President Donald Trump declared major flood-related disasters in several states .
Entire towns have been submerged, and boats have become the preferred mode of transport. Some soybean and corn farmers won't plant any crops this year due to their land being under water.
These 29 photos show how dire the flooding has been, especially compared to what the area usually looks like dry.
This might look like a lake, but until earlier this year, it was a soybean farm in Vicksburg, Mississippi, owned and farmed by by Randy and his daughter Victoria Darden. Videographer Nathan Willis visited the area for an episode of "Business Insider Today".
Nathan Willis
Source: Business Insider
Randy has lived in the area for about 50 years, but this is the first time he won't be planting at all. Here they're gliding towards what is usually fields of soybean crops. Instead, it's 6 feet of water.
Nathan Willis
Source: Business Insider
That means the Dardens won't be bringing in any income this year, when they usually grow about $600,000 worth of crops.
Business Insider
Source: Business Insider
The floodwaters swallowed up tractors on farmland near the Mississippi River.
Nathan Willis
And submerged this truck.
Nathan Willis
Boats or four-wheel-drive vehicles have been necessary to get around.
Nathan Willis
Towns situated right beside the Mississippi River, like Grafton, Illinois, are especially prone to flooding.
Google Maps / Business Insider
This residential area in Grafton looks completely different from normal.
Michael B. Thomas / Getty
Typically, the lighthouse seen in the previous photo isn't actually in the water.
Google Maps
Here a man cuts his lawns just up from one of Grafton's main roads, which is entirely submerged.
Michael B. Thomas / Getty
This is what it normally looks like.
Google Maps
In May, water similarly covered the streets of Davenport, Iowa.
KC McGinnis / The Washington Post / Getty
And it surrounded businesses, like the Half Nelson and Bootleg Hill Taproom.
KC McGinnis / The Washington Post / Getty
But it hasn't always been like that. Here are the roads before the floods.
Google Maps
In June, barriers dividing the road from the Mississippi River in West Alton, Missouri, are no longer so clear.
Michael B. Thomas / Getty
This is what it was like when the divide still existed.
Google Maps
In June, floodwaters rose and submerged parts of Alton, Illinois.
Michael B. Thomas / Getty
Normally, it's a busy arterial road.
Google Maps
And what looks to be a scene from a post-apocalyptic film is actually ....
Scott Olson / Getty
... just a mill beside a flooded main road.
Google Maps
After the floods, a boat is the best way to get home in West Alton, Missouri.
Scott Olson / Getty
Before the floods, the local shops were merely a drive away.
Google Maps
In June, much of Foley, Missouri, was overtaken by the Mississippi River.
Scott Olson / Getty
Things looked so different on the dry ground before.
Google Maps
In 1941, Congress approved a plan called the Yazoo Backwater Project, to deal with these floods. It was meant to build pumps, levees, and canals to drain flooded areas.
Nathan Willis
Source: Business Insider
But the pumps never eventuated due to delays. And in 2008, the EPA vetoed the pumps, because of fears it would threaten wetlands and wildlife.
Michael B. Thomas / Getty
Source: Business Insider
In April, the EPA said it was reconsidering. But there have been no further developments.
Nathan Willis.
Source: Business Insider
Parking lots in Barnhart, Missouri, are no drier than the roads.
Scott Olson / Getty
It's usually a good place to park for a meal.
Google Maps
Floodwaters are receding in the Midwest, but it could take months before many areas are completely back to normal. Until then, boats may remain the favored method of transportation.
Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune/TNS via Getty Images
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