People in areas affected by weekend floods begin the cleanup process under a federal disaster declaration.

Some roads in southeast Kansas remained closed Monday night. The good news is the water is going down, but the cleanup is just beginning.

In the Osage County town of Quenemo, it's a sense of deja vu. The Baptist Church had nearly finished remodeling from the damage done by the May 7th flood when it found the basement under 17-inches of water again Sunday.

Starting over again seems overwhelming at times. Resident Burl McGowin fought tears as he described the sense of helplessness with no water-logged land and possessions and no water service, making him feel like there was nothing he could do to help his family.

To the east, in Osawatomie, word the levees held up to the water meant some of the 2000 people forced out could flood back in. As they surveyed the damage, several said they didn't think it would be as bad as it is, but they also look to the future. One woman said she told her children that if their pictures from a trip to Disney World were destroyed by flood waters, they'd make plans to take another trip there.

Further south, in the Wilson County town of Neodesha, floods overwhelmed homes and the water supply. Bottled water for drinking and potable water for cleaning are being brought in, and people are just glad to be able to get to work rebuilding. The city administrator J.D. Cox said they were very fortunate the river water went down as much as it did Monday.

The journey back wasn't easy for everyone in the town of Fredonia. One man got his first look inside his home and said there was a lot of "nasty stuff" inside.

With some rivers not expected to recede until next week, hundreds are taking shelter in a church and doing what they can to help each other out. One woman said some friends brought boats and went inside another woman's home to get her some medicine and dry clothes.

In Coffeyville there's a situation that has teams from the Environmental Protection Agency keeping close watch. More than 40,000 gallons of crude oil escaped from a refinery. The slick's already found its way to nearly a hundred homes and is headed for the Neosho River and a popular Oklahoma lake.

Residents are concerned about the cleanup that may be involved. One man said he believes the ground won't be safe to sit down on. City Clerk Cindy Price also warned it won't be as easy as grabbing a mop and a bucket.

For the latest on road closures, go the Kansas Department of Transportation's web site, www.kanroad.org.

ANCHOR TAG ON-CAM
a note for those of you in quenemo -- the red cross wants to hear from you if you need assistance ... register with them at the quenemo community center .. or call 866-990-9910.