DES ARC, Ark.—Muddy wat-er reached the middle of front doors and flooded through screened-in porches Monday near Des Arc, as a historic crest in the White River flowed southward through communities in the Arkansas prairie.

Water from the river poured into Bayou Des Arc, turning what was once dry land in the unincorporated community north of Des Arc into marshlands. Flooding damaged homes, recreational vehicles and trailers as the White River rose an estimated 7 feet in four days. The National Weather Service in North Little Rock estimated the river would crest at 33.5 feet this afternoon.

David Maxwell, director of the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, said nine state teams would visit flood-damaged areas of the state today with members of the Federal Emergency Manage-ment Agency. As waters subside, Maxwell said he expects workers would “certainly” find far more damage than an initial $2 million estimate his office offered last week.

“Two million dollars was extremely low to start with,” Maxwell told reporters at a news conference Monday afternoon.

Forecasters reissued a flash flood warning through this morning for communities along the White River, saying deceptive clear skies and sunshine hid the fact that what could be the largest water surge in a quarter-century continued its way downstream.

At Pocahontas, the Black River sliced through a 60-year-old levee before emergency workers and volunteers could stem the tide with a mountain of sandbags Saturday. The Black enters the White River near Newport in Northeast Arkansas. Flooding remained widespread.

National Weather Service hydrologist Steve Bays said Monday that the Black River had crested but that it would take several days for the flood waters to recede. Meanwhile, the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department closed U.S. 67 south of Pocahon-tas to Jackson County. Parts of Arkansas 14 east of Batesville and in Jackson County were also closed.

Gov. Mike Beebe declared 35 counties disaster areas last week. Matt DeCample, a spokesman for the governor, said workers continued to monitor flooding, as well as the aftermath of a large fire Sunday at a Booneville meatpacking plant.

“The only thing missing are the locusts,” DeCample said.

In Des Arc, water came close to reaching a nearby grain silo, but the city’s downtown sits on high ground and appeared to not be in immediate danger.

Just south of town and beyond a levee, First Street stood flooded. Water went more than halfway up the wheels of passing pickups, a stray dog chasing behind them.

Rick Thompson, 38, stood there looking at his flooded beige mobile home.

He said he had no flood insurance and had yet to go inside his home.

“I’m going to come back with my boat and get my pictures and Bibles and things like that out of there and pray on the rest of it,” Thompson said.

State officials said they had no firm estimate on the number of people evacuated.

John Calhoun, 55, and his wife, Sue Ann, 52, struggled Monday morning to corner their nine pygmy goats in their water-logged pasture along Bayou Des Arc.

The goats bleated at first, then began a high-pitched, shrill whinny as the Calhouns lifted them over the fence and put them inside a wire cage.

“They don’t take to cold water well,” Sue Ann Calhoun said.

While water had flooded their back yard, John Calhoun said it likely wouldn’t go into their single-story, manufactured home—as long as the river didn’t continue its rise.