Eight Dead as Central US Reels Under Floods

A diver looks through the water as Oklahoma City emergency personnel look for a possible drowning victim at the Lake Overholser, in Oklahoma City, on Wednesday.

23 August 2007

Chicago: Rivers from Nebraska east to Ohio climbed out of their banks on Wednesday, swollen from thunderstorms that soaked the central United States for days and killed at least eight people.

The situation appeared to be worsening in Ohio where 21 counties battled high water, with officials declaring a state of emergency in nine of them in the north-central part of the state.

Showers and thunderstorms were forecast in that area and in general across the region for much of the week as a front stalled over the Midwest, setting up continued thunderstorms as cold air clashed with moisture-laden air from the Gulf of Mexico.

More than 100 people were being evacuated from Findlay, Ohio, with fire and rescue crews using boats to pull people from flooded homes and businesses, Ohio Emergency Management Agency spokesman Tom Hunter said.

No injuries

Cars were submerged and blocks of streets were under water in several towns, and hundreds of residents had been moved to shelters in nearby counties. No injuries have so far been reported, Hunter said.

Cars are shown stranded on a bridge by flood waters on Wednesday in Findlay, Ohio.

"This is the worst flooding many of these communities have seen in 30 or 40 years and many, many people will have to rebuild homes and lives. Our hearts go out to the families," he said.

In Iowa, Governor Chet Culver issued disaster declarations for five counties mostly in the northwest part of the state, allowing state resources to be deployed to local communities. "Some locations are even measuring rain by the foot," the National Weather Service in Des Moines said on Wednesday as it issued a flood warning for parts of Iowa. Areas of southeastern Minnesota and southern Wisconsin were among the hardest hit. Minnesota counted seven dead in storms that began last weekend, with more rain there overnight. Wisconsin issued additional flood warnings. One person was killed in Iowa.

Parts of Oklahoma and Texas were cleaning up from unrelated flooding that killed more than two dozen people over the weekend after the remnants of Tropical Storm Erin moved through the area.

Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry on Wednesday asked the White House to declare three counties in his state disaster areas.