and earlier cnn talked with the missouri department of transportation about how the floodwaters are affecting the roads there. we re dealing with rising rivers all across the state of missouri. we currently have over 225 roads that are closed in the state and our worst situation is the interstate 44 is closed in the middle of the state, near rala, missouri, and we are expecting a spot on 44 to close in the st. louis before morning, and those two closures on interstate 44 are making it not only difficult to get around missouri but also very difficult for travellers to try to get through our state and travel in the midwest. the ability to get, say, from illinois to oklahoma, and so we re having a tough time dealing with truck traffic and through travellers trying to get through the state of missouri.
listen to this. just this morning we were informed that an additional three flood-related deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities in this storm to 13, 12 of which were caused by flooded vehicles being swept away. reporter: the mayor of west alton, missouri, has asked residents to leave. he has issued a voluntary evacuation order and so far, most people have left their homes. cnn, west alton, missouri. and earlier cnn spoke with linda horn about how the floodwaters affecting the roads in missouri. she s a spokeswoman with the missouri department of transportation. we re dealing with rising rivers all across the state of missouri. we currently have over 225 roads that are closed in the state and our worst situation is that
modot.org. we don t have enough barricades to close the roads that are closed. turn around, don t drown. we ve had a dozen defts in missouri due to flooding and they ve all been people in cars who have drowned in the rivers. we know this is an emergency and we re very busy. we appreciate your time. let s go to meteorologist pedram javaheri. about 20,000 square miles of land that are underneath flood warnings and watches. notice the flood warnings across this region. we take a look at the perspective when it comes to what has transpired.