Floods have ravished the Midwest this week. Two storm systems have enveloped the region: one in the Upper Midwest and Tropical Storm Erin in Texas and Oklahoma.
In Findlay, OH, 100 people have already been rescued with 100 more waiting. The Blanchard River was close to 7 feet above flood stage and likely to rise a half-foot or more, the National Weather Service said. In nearby Bucyrus, 40 miles southeast of Findlay, nearly 9 inches of rain had fallen since Monday and at least 200 people were still out of their homes.
In Iowa, three subdivisions along the Des Moines River near Fort Dodge were evacuated. A preliminary survey by the American Red Cross in Minnesota identified about 4,200 affected homes, including 256 complete losses, 338 with major damage and 475 that are still inaccessible. Preliminary damage reports in Wisconsin topped $38 million Tuesday.
In Oklahoma, which recorded a gust of 82 mph and 11 inches of rain, some 300 homes and businesses were damaged in the Kingfisher area and in Caddo County in southwestern Oklahoma. According to the Oklahoma Climatological Survey, 2007 is so far the fourth-wettest on record in the state, with an average rainfall total of 31.96 inches, 8.42 inches above normal.
