Flood fears rise as storm system ravages central U. S.
Five die as rains persist
LOUISVILLE – Aviolent storm system with relentless rains and fierce winds that pounded the southern and central U. S. over the weekend could lead to treacherous flooding in the days ahead.
The system that stretched from Texas to the Canadian maritime provinces left a path of destruction as it cut eastward Sunday: Homes were leveled, trees uprooted, cars demolished. Five people were killed, two in suspected tornadoes. Emergency crews struggled to keep up with calls from drivers stranded by rising floodwaters in many locations.
Flooding will continue to be a threat thisweek as more rain falls and runoffs continue, Accuweather said. More than 200 river gauges reported levels above flood stage from the Great Lakes to eastern Texas, the Weather Channel reported.
By Sunday, the river gauge near downtown Louisville showed the Ohio River at 34.9 feet. The normal level is about 12 feet.
In 1997, the water was measured at 38.8 feet; roughly 50,000 homes flooded, and the Louisville area alone saw $ 200 million in damage.
In Adairville, Ky., Dallas Jane Combs, 79, died after a likely tornado struck her home, the Logan County Sheriff’s Department told TV station WKRN.
Two bodies also were recovered from submerged vehicles in separate incidents in the state Saturday, the Associated Press reported.
In southwestern Michigan, the body of a man was found floating in floodwaters Sunday in Kalamazoo, city Public Safety Lt. David Thomas told AP.
In northeast Arkansas, Albert Foster, 83, was killed when his trailer home collapsed under high winds, Clay County Sheriff Terry Miller told KAIT- TV.
Novelly reported from Louisville; Miller from McLean, Va.