Floods Block Highways, Force Hundreds To Flee

At least 13 people have died and three others are missing due to severe weather that’s caused heavy flooding in the nation’s midsection.Residents in the nation’s midsection have stacked sandbags or fled from their homes amid overflowing rivers and creeks.Record or near-record flood crests are forecast for several towns in Missouri. And the National Weather Service has posted flood warnings from Texas to Pennsylvania, with flooding reported in parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. A foot of rain had fallen by Wednesday afternoon in sections of southern Illinois, where two bodies were found hours after floodwaters swept a pickup truck off a rural road. Five deaths were being linked to the flooding in Missouri and five people were killed in a highway wreck in heavy rain in Kentucky. The flooding was also blamed for a death in Ohio. Rain finally stopped falling in much of Missouri and Arkansas Wednesday afternoon as the weather system started crawling toward the Northeast. Evacuations also were under way in parts of Arkansas and Ohio.The National Weather Service posted flood and flash flood warnings from Texas to Pennsylvania, with tornado watches in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.In Texas, authorities near Dallas were searching Wednesday for a 14-year-old who they believe was swept down a creek drainage pipe by floodwaters during Tuesday’s heavy storms.Authorities in Mesquite, Texas, said the teenager was playing with a friend near the creek when he was carried away by the rising waters. The weather service said more than six inches of rain fell on parts of Dallas on Tuesday. In Missouri, about 300 of the 900 homes in Piedmont were evacuated. Dozens of people were rescued by boats. Two people in Arkansas were missing Tuesday after their vehicles were swept away by rushing water.President George W. Bush has approved a major disaster declaration for parts of Missouri hit by flooding following days of heavy rain. The move means 70 counties and the city of St. Louis are now eligible for federal emergency relief funding. The cleanup bill for the soggy mess is expected to run into the millions. One woman outside St. Louis spent Wednesday moving her family’s belongings to the second floor of their home. She called it “A lot of work, but it’s worth it to save your stuff.”WLWT-TV in Cincinnati reported that a woman in Whitewater Township, Ohio, was found dead during the storm.The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office said the 66-year-old woman in Whitewater Township who was attempting to work on her sump pump was found under a heavy grate covering the pump.Officials aren’t sure whether she drowned, had a heart attack or was crushed by the grate. An autopsy is planned for Wednesday.High water closed roads and stranded people in their homes across the region on Wednesday morning, and it was expected to get worse throughout the day, WLWT reported.The weather service issued flood warnings Wednesday for the Great Miami and Little Miami rivers.The Great Miami was expected to crest 12 feet above flood level at Miamitown, 8 feet at Milford and 6 feet over flood stage south of Miamisburg, while the Little Miami will crest 10 feet over flood stage at South Lebanon and Morrow.Homes and businesses in Miamitown and areas along the Great Miami in Franklin, Milford and Carlisle may flood by afternoon.Meanwhile, several counties, including Hamilton, Dearborn, Warren and Butler, were under a flash flood warning.The NWS said another 1 to 3 inches of additional rain was expected Wednesday on top of the 3 to 4 inches that fell Tuesday.

Showers Linger In Arkansas

Showers lingered in parts of Arkansas a day after heavy rain and storms caused damage throughout the region.In the Fort Smith area, a 10-year-old skateboarder was rescued after being sucked into a drainage ditch, KHBS-TV in Ft. Smith reported.Further north in Madison County, flash floods hit St. Paul, Ark., residents.About noon, the White River flooded several homes and a baseball field in the area, the television station reported.Authorities said nobody was hurt, but the damage was extensive.”It tore my foundation out, busted my water lines, busted the gas lines. It came in the back door. … You can see where all the mud is. The carpet is all wet,” said Linda Shackelford.Creeks and rivers in Madison County were still high Wednesday after a water line washed away overnight.