2 Dead, 2 Missing as Flooding Inundates Plains, Midwest

Pam Wright and Sean Breslin
Published: April 29,2017
Severe storms with torrential rain triggered dangerous flooding Saturday in several states, killing two people in Missouri and Arkansas.
According to the Missouri Highway Patrol, a woman in a vehicle was swept away by floodwaters Saturday afternoon near the town of Clever in the southwestern corner of the state, KSPR.com reported. Crews were able to rescue a man from the vehicle, but were unable to reach the woman before she died, the report added. Neither the man nor the woman has been identified.
Across the state of Missouri, there have been nearly 100 evacuations and 33 water rescues Saturday, according to the Associated Press. State officials also said up to 150 roads have been closed by flooding.
In Madison County, Missouri, two children were missing after an attempted water rescue, NWAHomepage.com reported. The mother was able to swim to safety, the report added, but she was unable to find her children.
(MORE: Serious Threat Ahead for the Weekend in the Midwest, Plains)
Officials in De Witt, Arkansas, confirmed the death of a woman in a mobile home at around 6 p.m. Saturday evening. She was lying on her couch when a tree collapsed onto the home, according to Fox16.com.
In Oklahoma, Gov. Mary Fallin declared a state of emergency Saturday; the Sooner State has been hit with flooding and even snow to the north from Winter Storm Ursa. A state of emergency was declared later Saturday for all of southern Missouri by Gov. Eric Greitens.
"From Oklahoma into the Ohio Valley, rain and thunderstorms developed Friday night into Saturday morning, creating a dangerous situation for residents," said weather.com meteorologist Linda Lam.

Missouri

Dozens of roads were closed and water rescues were performed Saturday across the Show Me State as the heavy rains refused to relent.
Some of the most severe flooding Saturday night was seen in the town of West Plains, located in far southern Missouri. The town was reportedly cut off by floodwaters, and power was shut off to the town because of the rising waters, according to local reports.
A flash flooding emergency was declared in McDonald County early Saturday after more than 6 inches of rain fell in the area, according to the National Weather Service.
"Locations along Indian Creek, Bullskin Creek, Beaver Branch and the Elk River will experience unusual and life-threatening rises in flood levels. The cities of Anderson, Lanagan and Noel are included in this flash flood emergency," said the NWS.
A second flooding emergency was issued Saturday afternoon for eastern Newton County, including the cities of Granby, Ritchey and Newtonia.
Flood emergencies have been declared in Springfield, Cassville and Newton County.
Downtown Reed Springs was evacuated early Saturday as the town was hit by flash flooding. Authorities said more than a foot of water inundated the town, but water started to recede shortly after.
Across the state, many schools canceled their proms for Saturday, according to the Associated Press.

Oklahoma

Severe storms moving across Oklahoma early Saturday brought damaging hail, flooding and power outages to Oklahoma City.
Thunderstorms packing winds of 60 mph dumped heavy rain and strong winds on central Oklahoma, according to weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce. Nearly 2 inches of rain fell on Oklahoma City Saturday morning. That quickly led to flooding in several areas.
"One home in Hulbert was taking on water and it was coming through the windows before the people were rescued," Devan Brotherton, Cherokee County Emergency Management Communications Officer, told the Tulsa World.
Officials with the Oklahoma City Fire Department warned residents Saturday to stay home because of downed power lines and trees from the storm.
According to KOCO.com, several interstates were closed because of flooding and downed power lines, including I-235 between N. 50th St. and N. 36th St. and I-40 westbound just east of I-44. I-235 later reopened.
One person was injured in Caddo County when high winds damaged a mobile home, according to the county's emergency management.
Lightning ignited a house fire in Oklahoma City, KOCO reports, while lightning is suspected in a second house fire.
A person was trapped in an RV after a power line came down on the trailer.
In Muskogee, near Tulsa, Oklahoma, streets are flooded and residents in the Gooseneck Bend area were trapped in their homes by rising waters.
By late Saturday afternoon, more than 18,000 customers across the state of Oklahoma were without power, the majority in or around Oklahoma City, OG&E reports. At one point, more than 80,000 homes and businesses were in the dark statewide, KWTV said.
Officials with Will Rogers World Airport said delays are likely on Saturday due to the storms, according to KOCO.

Arkansas

In Benton County, nearly all side roads and bridges were closed Saturday due to flooding concerns, KFSM-TV reported.
The Rogers City Police Department in northwestern Arkansas responded to at least three water rescues Saturday, according to the NWS.

Illinois

In Herrin, Illinois, more than 10 square blocks were underwater, requiring several water rescues.
(MORE: Flooding Was Deadlier Than Tornadoes, Lightning Combined in 2015-16)
Late in the afternoon on Friday, a reported tornado may have been responsible for damage in Sumner, Illinois, a town of about 3,200 located in the southeastern portion of the state. According to a storm report from the NWS, a home was damaged and power lines were snapped in the storm.

Indiana

Damage was reported in the evening hours Friday in parts of Indiana. East of Bloomington, a man was trapped inside a home in Brown County after a tree fell onto the dwelling, according to a separate NWS storm report. The condition of the man wasn't immediately known.
(MORE: Rough Weekend of Severe Storms, Flooding Ahead)
Just a few miles west of Indianapolis, a lightning strike was believed to be responsible for a house fire in the town of Brownsburg.

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