Photos: Aerial views capture scale of deadly flooding in the Midwest

The US midwest is grappling with swift, record-setting floods along the Missouri River, as massive downpours contribute to a waterway system already swelling from melting snow and ice from historic winter storms. Three people have already died in floods that have the river cresting to four feet above its last record depth.

In Nebraska, Offutt Air Force Base—home to the US Strategic Command, which oversees nuclear forces, was flooded, with some part of inundated by as much as eight feet of water. Iowa, Nebraska and Wisconsin have all declared states of emergencies.

Photos show how massive amounts of floodwater can spread quickly and wreak havoc over such a flat plain. An emergency official quoted by the AP summed up the problem: “It’s flowing fast and it’s open country—there’s nothing there to slow it down.”