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| Herd Flees Underwater Pasture |
 As the Midwest continues to flood, forecasters predict record crests in several Missouri towns. The Associated Press reported that of the 13 deaths currently linked to the disaster, five occurred in Missouri, where hundreds of rivers, including the Gasconade River, are spilling over because of rainfall.
The Gasconade River was named by French explorers and is located in the central part of Missouri. The 265 mile river winds through Ozark Mountains where, according to The Rolla Daily News, two cold water rescues took place near the edge of the Mark Twain National Forest.
The first mission involved the rescue of an elderly victim who was saved just as flood waters began to engulf her residence.
The second was not "the type of rescue we were anticipating," said a county sheriff at the scene. Approximately 105 cows and calves were stranded after their fenced pastures became a flooded plain.
Two boats and three water herders attempted four times to escort the distressed animals to safety. The mission lasted two hours and required 90 cows to swim a quarter of a mile in 10 foot waters to arrive on grassy landing. Those that were too tired and weak to stand were pulled aboard a waiting boat.
Firefighters trained in cold water operations remained in the water for the duration of the two-hour rescue. One reported pulling a 700 pound cow from the river. Another cradled the head of a calf above water for more than thirty minutes while waiting for the jet boat to come by.
Andy Davis, a detective at the scene, told The Rolla Daily News that "once [the rescuers] started, they refused to stop until all the cows were out of danger."
Fortunately, all of the herd survived.
Governor Matt Blunt has declared the state a federal disaster and is seeking immediate financial assistance for 70 of Missouri's 114 counties.
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