Record flooding in Arkansas and Oklahoma

The Arkansas River remained at record levels Thursday morning, threatening levees and causing historic flooding. Hundreds of homes faced likely flooding, according to officials in Fort Smith, Ark., and a nearby levee in Van Buren was beginning to deteriorate. The river will likely remain at extraordinary levels in western Arkansas for several days, according to the National Weather Service. The flooding has been blamed for at least one death in Arkansas. Residents have voluntarily evacuated more than 400 homes in the state, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Wednesday.

Officials evacuated more than 2,400 people in Muskogee County, Okla., where more than 1,100 homes were flooded, according to local emergency management. Water levels were lowering near Tulsa, Okla., on Thursday morning, but widespread flooding remained.