Fierce weekend storms with tornadoes and heavy rain pounded the Midwest, where at least seven people were killed, many buildings were damaged, and hundreds of people fled their homes because of flooding.
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Rescuers in boats continued to pluck people from rising waters in Indiana yesterday, a day after more than 10 inches of rain deluged much of the state.
In Iowa, pumps and thousands of sandbags were sent to the Iowa City area, where officials fear a reservoir could top a spillway and flood the city of about 63,000 by tomorrow.
The Indiana flooding killed at least one person, a man who drowned in his vehicle about 50 miles south of Indianapolis, the state Department of Homeland Security said. Another person was reported missing after falling off a boat on Mill Creek, about 30 miles southwest of the capital.
In Michigan, two delivery workers for The Grand Rapids Press drowned early yesterday when their car became submerged in a creek that washed out a road near Lake Michigan in Saugatuck Township.
Two other people in the state were killed by falling trees, one man drowned, and a woman died when high winds blew a recreational vehicle on top of her, authorities said.
At least one tornado hit the Omaha area with little to no warning as people slept yesterday morning, damaging several dozen homes and businesses. No major injuries were reported.
Paul Higgins, 87, said the front door blew open and he was knocked down when he checked on the storm about 2:30 a.m. "It was like a fog. So much stuff blowing around," he said.
Higgins said he and his wife sought shelter in their basement, emerging to find a tree against a house across the street and a house missing its roof.
Iowa saw some of its worst flooding in more than a decade, Governor Chet Culver said as he declared a state of emergency in nearly a third of the state's 99 counties.
A levee broke along the Winnebago River in Mason City, and its water treatment plant was shut down.
Officials said water levels on the Iowa River at Iowa City could be like those during the historic floods of 1993, which put much of the state underwater.
In areas of Minnesota near the Iowa border, officials asked residents in the Winnebago Valley to leave. In Wisconsin, houses near the swollen Kickapoo River in La Farge were evacuated.
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security said 23 of the state's 92 counties were declared disasters. Officials said hundreds of people evacuated from houses and hospitals in western Indiana.
In Morgan County, southwest of Indianapolis, about 150 residents were taken out of a flooded nursing home.
Flood waters moving south toward the Ohio River led officials to move more than 250 patients and staff from Columbus Regional Hospital in southern Indiana.
Heavy rains are turning to major flood warnings in North Iowa. Steve O'Niell Director of Cerro Gordo Franklin County Emergency Management tells KIMT News 3 that flooding is becoming a problem in virtually every city in Cerro Gordo County.
In Mason City, The Winnebago River is at 18.07 feet as of 1:00pm. This exceeds 1933 record river crest of 15.7 feet. It is expected to crest at over 19 feet Sunday afternoon. The water is already flowing over the levies in Mason City and is blocking several streets. This would be a record level for the Winnebago River.
"If you live close to a river or stream, don't wait for someone to tell you to leave, evacuate when necessary" said O'Niell.
East Park in Mason City is under water and a residential area to the northwest of the park along the Winnebago River is flooded. County Road B20 is closed in areas because of high water. Cheslea Creek is overflowing its banks and the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Mason City could flood.
Police and fire officers have evacuated people from Autumn Park Apartments on South Pierce Avenue. Right now, emergency management has set up an evacuation shelter at Holy Family Catholic Church. The Salvation Army is expected to open a shelter in Mason City later Sunday. Flooding is also reported in the Eastbrook area of Mason City and 17th and 19th Streets Northeast. Highway 65 is closed south of Manly due to high water.
Worth, Mitchell and Wright Counties also tell KIMT News 3 that several county roads are washed out. She Wroth County Sheriff tells KIMT News 3 to urge travelers to drive with extreme caution and don't go out on the roads unless absolutely necessary.
Emergency management officials confirm boat rescue operations are under way at Camp of the Woods in Rock Falls. Reports at the scene say several campers are partially submerged by flood waters and rescue personnel are checking the campers and vehicles at the park.
A flood warning continued this morning for the Root River near Houston and affecting Houston County and the south branch of the Root River at Lanesboro affecting Fillmore and Houston County, the National Weather Service said.
Some residents of Houston County, in southeastern Minnesota, were "strongly encouraged" to evacuate to higher ground Sunday night because of flooding and mudslides after heavy weekend rains.
Houston County Emergency Manager Kurt Kuhlers said a voluntary evacuation was under way for some parts of the county. Authorities reported no injuries as of late Sunday.
The river is expected to rise above flood stage this afternoon and crest by around midnight, the weather service said.
The flood warning will remain in effect until flood waters drop below flood stage.
Meanwhile, communities in northern Iowa also were encountering record flooding, particularly along the Upper Iowa River, just south of Houston County.
"They're so high we're unable to get gauge readings," said meteorologist Todd Shea with the National Weather Service in La Crosse, Wis. "They've gone off the scale."
The Houston County Emergency Management Department sent out a civil emergency message containing the evacuation advisory. The weather service continued its flood warning this morning.
The Houston County Sheriff's Department said Sunday evening that the area had received rain for about 24 hours and expected 10 to 12 more hours of rain into this morning. Several areas were flooded, and many roads were washed out and closed, a dispatcher said.
Mudslides were reported along Hwy. 26 south of Brownsville and on roads south of Spring Grove.
Root River flood warning
Southwestern portions of Houston County had received an unofficial total of 10.1 inches of rain over the weekend, pushing Root River tributaries well beyond flood stage but not yet to unprecedented levels, Shea said.
"Last August we saw pretty historic flash flooding across southeast Minnesota into southern Wisconsin," Shea said. "I don't know if this is an exact duplicate, but it's kind of in a similar nature."
Houston was one of seven southeastern Minnesota counties declared federal disaster areas after flash floods in August. Seven people died in the flooding, which also destroyed or heavily damaged 1,500 homes.
The trouble this time, however, is not flash floods but rather unusually swollen rivers, Shea said.
Kuhlers said temporary shelters were set up at the city auditorium in Caledonia and at the community center in Brownsville. As of Sunday evening, 55 people had gone to the Caledonia auditorium and six people had reported to the center in Brownsville.
John Allen, a Red Cross official, said that most of the evacuees were campers and that many people found rides to area houses.
A flash-flood watch for southeastern Minnesota, northeastern Iowa and west-central Wisconsin was expected to remain in effect until midnight Sunday.
Gov. Tim Pawlenty planned to tour the flooded area in Houston County today with Sheriff Doug Ely, as well as view last week's storm damage in Hubbard County.
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