USA: Twelve dead in.midwest storms

Following a day of flooding, the midwest of America awoke to recovery efforts on Monday (August 20) after the remnants of Tropical Storm Erin drenched the states of Texas and Oklahoma. At least six people died in floodwaters across Oklahoma according to police and local media reports. More rain and flooding have been forecast as the storm moved into Missouri. Overnight rain trapped a couple near Miller, Missouri. Search and Rescue teams made a dramatic rescue bringing the stranded couple to shore. It was one of many such efforts made in the past 36-hours. Some were not so fortunate. Three women from the same family were driving in a van swept away by rushing water, according to the sheriff's office. The bodies of the three were found after a search of floodwaters near Carnegie, Oklahoma. A woman drowned near Fort Cobb, Oklahoma when she sought shelter in her cellar from thunderstorms, which is the usual procedure for storms in tornado-prone Oklahoma. Another person was confirmed drowned west of Kingfisher, Oklahoma. Their vehicle too was washed away by floodwaters. A rescue worker in Kingfisher, where a quarter of the town was inundated, said the waters had receded by six feet (1.8 meters) overnight. Elsewhere in the midwest, the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin were drenched by a separate weather front. Six people were confirmed dead in Minnesota due to the floods from a day of thunderstorms. The governor declared a state of emergency in six counties. In Wisconsin. There seems to be no respite for the midwest as meteorologist forecast more stormy weather. Flooding could continue until the end of the week.

ITN Source | August 21, 2007

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