The magnitude of flooding along the Missouri River this summer warrants a presidential visit, Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann says.

Bachmann and another Republican House member, Steve King, took an aerial tour of the flooding Monday morning over parts of Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri and met with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials. Bachmann says Corps officials estimated during the meeting that flood damage to the levee and dam systems along the Missouri could reach $1 billion – and that doesn’t include road damage.

“The devastation is beyond what people can imagine,” Bachmann says. “Surely this is worthy of a presidential visit to come see this level of devastation in western Iowa.”

Bachmann and King expressed concern during an Omaha news conference after the tour that the public is already forgetting the flooding’s effect on people and their property and livelihoods.

“This flood that we have seems to have disappeared from the minds of people from across the country,” King says. “If you’re not here to see it, you don’t hear very much about it.”

Heavy rain and a large snowmelt from the Rocky Mountains have poured water into the Missouri, flooding more than 500,000 acres in seven states. The high water is expected to linger through August, putting pressure on levees that protect homes, cities and farms.

President Barack Obama has not personally visited the flooded areas of Iowa, Nebraska or other Missouri River states.

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