Southern US prepares for flooding surge as waters move down Mississippi river

Warnings issued in Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana after flooding from heavy December rainfall caused death and destruction in Missouri and Illinois

Southern US states are bracing themselves for major flooding as surging waters that have inundated parts of Missouri and Illinois head south down the Mississippi river.

Heavy rainfall at the end of December, the largest deluge since May 2011, has caused the Mississippi, Meramec and Missouri rivers to burst their banks. In some areas, the Mississippi is 40ft above its flood mark, causing at least 24 deaths in several states.