(CNN) -- A compromised levee in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, failed Tuesday, forcing authorities to order more evacuations in the region. The levee failed in at least four locations along a two-mile stretch along the Black River, City Manager Doug Bagby said. The failure was sending floodwaters from the Black River into a populated but rural area of Butler County, sparing the city of Poplar Bluff, said the city's deputy police chief, Jeff Rolland. Authorities were worried about another one to three inches of rain in the forecast. It was unclear how many people might eventually be affected by the flooding, Butler County Sheriff's Detective Scott Phelps said. As of midafternoon Tuesday, several hundred homes had been evacuated in the county, he said. The breaks occurred between Poplar Bluff and the community of Qulin, about 12 miles to the southeast.
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59 people rescued in Poplar Bluff area
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Levee fails, sending water rushing into rural part of Butler County, Missouri
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Missouri's governor has enlisted the National Guard in the flood fight
Flood levels are dropping slowly, @placeholder said, and people may be able to return to their homes Wednesday afternoon if the trend continues.