USA: Severe flooding in the U.S. kills six

At least six people are dead and hundreds of families evacuated from their homes after floodwaters overtake parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Oklahoma. Severe flooding across a swath on the central United States has left six dead and scores homeless. At least four people died in Winona County, Minnesota as a result of flooding in southeastern Minnesota. The governor of Minnesota declared a state of emergency for six counties Sunday (August 19). In Wisconsin, the governor declared a state of emergency in three counties. Heavy rains over the last 24 hours have caused flooding on 75 percent of Richland County roads. Hundreds of residents were evacuated from their homes in Crawford County. Heavy rains from the remains of Tropical Storm Erin drenched Oklahoma on Sunday, leaving at least two people dead and three missing, according to state officials and local media reports. Authorities reported a woman drowned near Fort Cobb, Oklahoma, about 75 miles (120 kilometres) southwest of Oklahoma City, when she sought shelter in her cellar, which is the usual procedure for storms in tornado-prone Oklahoma. Another person was confirmed drowned west of Kingfisher, Oklahoma, the Kingfisher County Sheriff's office told the Daily Oklahoman newspaper, according to its Web site. As much as 9 inches (23 cm) of rain has fallen across a wide swath of Oklahoma, leaving roadways under 5 feet (1.5 meters) of water. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol was searching for three women whose van was swept off a road near Carnegie, Oklahoma, 11 miles (18 km) west of Fort Cobb, according to a local newspaper.

ITN Source | August 20, 2007

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