Sequestration Could Shut Down Stream-Flow Gauges, Hindering Forecasts as Spring Flooding Begins

Stateline: Spring is off to soggy and sometimes deadly start in the Midwest, where floodwaters have driven thousands of people from their homes and killed at least four.

The human toll could have been worse, forecasters say, if they couldn’t quickly track the rise of the rain-swollen Mississippi, Illinois or other rivers that have spilled over their banks.

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