American Red Cross volunteers from the Peoria chapter are on their way to Southern Illinois today.

They are headed to Little Egypt in Illinois. This is part of an area where up to 12 inches of rain fell in some areas.

Many rivers and streams have overflowed their banks covering roads and homes and forcing scattered evacuations and causing two deaths.

The Central Illinois volunteers are going to assist flood victims and work in the shelters. They have also recently worked during the Pontiac and Watseka Floods.

They say it can be a difficult job, but also very rewarding.

"It's just sad when you look at pictures or go down the road to see what's going on," said Leah Laxton. "People had lost not so much their home but pictures, the history."

Brett Bode has been volunteering since 9-11 and added, "It's an adventure everybody is looking for a little adventure in life and getting called at the spur of a moment. Each one is different. Each one is unique not all exigencies are good."

Yesterday, 19 counties in southern Illinois were declared state disaster areas.

Illinois' disaster declaration means communities will have access to a variety of state resources to help with flood and storm-related damage.