Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:45 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation Monday in response to flooding and flash flooding beginning March 13 and continuing.  The governor’s proclamation allows state resources to be utilized to respond to and recover from the effects of this severe weather and activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program for qualifying residents, along with the Disaster Case Management Program, for these five counties: Crawford, Delaware, Page, Palo Alto, and Tama. The addition of those five counties brings the number of counties impacted by recent flooding to 41 counties.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence will travel to Nebraska to survey damage from flooding in the Midwest. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted that President Donald Trump requested Pence go Tuesday to the Midwest to see the damage.

NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa (AP) — Beto O’Rourke has entered the 2020 Democratic presidential race amid much fanfare and media attention. In the first days of his campaign, he ran a 5-kilometer race, was mocked for flailing his arms so much when he speaks and drove a Dodge Caravan from Iowa through Wisconsin and Michigan to Ohio, stopping to talk with voters along the way. O’Rourke also showed some inexperience on foreign policy but talked up his U.S.-Mexico border expertise, and explained his changing views on health care.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal of the felony convictions of three top staffers on Ron Paul’s 2012 presidential campaign. Campaign chairman Jesse Benton, campaign manager John Tate and deputy campaign manager Dimitri Kesari were convicted in 2016 of causing false records and campaign expenditure reports to be filed to the Federal Election Commission.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Barriers have been emplaced to protect some Cedar Rapids neighborhoods from floodwaters. The National Weather Service says the Cedar River is expected to crest later Monday at 18.5 feet. That’s nearly 3 feet into what the service says is major flood stage but nearly 13 feet below the 2008 record of 31.1 feet. Any flooding isn’t expected to reach houses and businesses.