Despite sunny skies, water continued to rise Wednesday in eastern Arkansas, where federal officials have begun to gather their first damage assessments in the week-long floods that have displaced residents and soaked homes and businesses in nearly half the state.

The White River is higher than it has been in a quarter century, flooding properties and farmland. The river is expected to crest early Friday at Clarendon at 6.5 feet above flood stage.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency collected reports Wednesday morning from field workers who fanned out the previous day to determine the scope of damage where the waters have receded.

“We are getting a snapshot of damages within a county,” FEMA spokesman Bob Alvey said. “The idea is to get information to Gov. Mike Beebe quickly so he can proceed with further requests for federal assistance for infrastructure repairs and for help for individuals.

On Tuesday, flood waters near Des Arc reached homes and businesses and pressured levees along the White River. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning Tuesday morning for rural Prairie County north of Interstate 40 after spotters noticed the levee had “sand boils” _ water passing under the earthen barrier and appearing on the side like a muddy spring. By the afternoon, 100 volunteers held back the flow by building sandbag barriers for the water to be held in, creating pressure to stem the tide.

Thomas “Babe” Vincent, a levee district board member, praised the spirit of the volunteers.

“We’ve had people here today from the other side of the river who aren’t in danger,” Vincent said.

After heavy rains last week, major rivers overflowed their banks, inundating north and central Arkansas and driving people from their homes and businesses. Almost half the state _ 35 counties _ was declared a disaster area.

Beebe, on hand to visit some volunteers at the levee, described seeing the “devastating” flooding from the air on a recent helicopter trip across the state.

“It looked like just a solid lake from Batesville to Newport _ you couldn’t tell where the river was,” the governor said.

Teams of state and federal officials were deployed Tuesday to examine flood-damaged buildings and businesses. Officials first put damages at $2 million, but said it would likely rise well above that once the waters recede.

Meanwhile, residents in east-central Arkansas did what little they could while waiting for flood waters to subside.

Donald Holland and his wife moved three goats and nine chickens to higher ground but were having trouble finding their turkeys. Holland was so distracted he forgot it was his 68th birthday Tuesday.

“The water’s about a foot deep around my trailer,” Holland said. “I’ve got my boat tied up to my front porch.”

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On the Net:

Arkansas Emergency Management: http://www.adem.arkansas.gov/

Weather Service Arkansas flood map: http://tinyurl.com/2ujyrw