Latest: Interstate reopens weeks after flooding closed it

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Latest on spring flooding across midsection of the U.S. (all times local):

2:05 p.m.

A stretch of interstate highway in northwestern Missouri is open again for the first time since floodwaters shut it down in March.

Interstate 29 reopened Wednesday to the Iowa state line. Historic flooding in March forced closure of the busy north-south roadway. I-29 also is open in Iowa, but with some restrictions.

The Missouri Department of Transportation says more than 12,000 vehicles use I-29 in northwestern Missouri on a daily basis.

Many other roads and highways in northwestern Missouri and southwestern Iowa remain closed due to flood damage. The latest round of flooding has forced many other roads to close across several Midwestern states.

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9 a.m.

As the Mississippi River continues to surge, flash flooding along Kansas creeks and streams is forcing people from their homes, closing roads and prompting schools to call off classes.

Emergency management officials began evacuating an area about 5 miles (8 kilometers) west of the Kansas college town of Manhattan around 5 a.m. Wednesday. Evacuations also are underway in part of Marion County in the central part of the state.

Near the Oklahoma border, flooding closed a stretch of the Kansas Turnpike. And there were numerous water rescues in Augusta, which is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Wichita.

Flash flood watches also are in effect in Missouri, Nebraska, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, as well as flood warnings along the Mississippi River.