Keeping track of floods in 2008|
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Keeping track of floods in 2008 |
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June 10, 2008 The stationary storm aggravated a dangerously soggy situation. Thunderstorms that began late last week had brought 6 to 10 inches of rain to parts of the region, meteorologists said, leaving the ground saturated. There were no new fatalities reported as of late Monday. Over the weekend, however, the storms were responsible for 10 deaths in four states, officials said. In Wisconsin, at least 90 roads and highways were closed because of flooding, which also caused three dams to fail and four to have water spill over. At least three houses were swept away as gushing lake water cut a new path through Lake Delton, a small town north of Madison. “The water reached such a level that it found its own channel, took out a highway and the houses around it,” said Mike Goetzman, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Emergency Operations Center in Madison. “We have many dams at their limits.” Thousands of residents evacuated flood-ravaged communities in 30 counties across the state. The Red Cross opened shelters, and prison inmates were dispatched to help with sandbagging. In Iowa, some river levels were exceeding records, and a concentration of heavy flooding hampered the northeastern and central part of the state. In Indiana, residents tried to raise a mile of levee by three feet along the White River at Elnora, southwest of Indianapolis, where the river was expected to crest and flood. While Tuesday is expected to offer some relief, meteorologists said there was a possibility of rain returning to the central Plains states on Wednesday. “Unfortunately, the most significant rainfall that is expected will fall on the areas already experiencing flooding,” said Jim Keeney, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Late last week and into the weekend, the storm system also spun off tornadoes. But as moist air from the south became more stable, Mr. Keeney said, thunderstorms became the system’s dominant feature. Some longtime Wisconsin residents who live on the water were surprised at the extent of the flooding damage. “It’s just unbelievable,” said Jill Zapp, who lives in Lake Delton, a resort area. “I’ve lived here all my life, and I’ve never seen anything like this destruction. People are doing the best they can.” Ms. Zapp works for a popular theatrical production, “The Tommy Bartlett Show,” which is performed live on the water of Lake Delton. At first, the show was canceled because of high water. Now, it is dark because there is hardly any water. “Where the show site is, is almost dried up,” Ms. Zapp said, describing how the lake broke its boundaries and essentially flowed away. “The show’s been here for 55 seasons, and this has never happened. Water’s coming in, but as fast as it flows in it goes out.” After an especially wet winter and early spring, forecasters say the next few weeks may be a drier time for the Midwest. “The good news is that the climate predictions center
is saying that a week from today, we should see a change in the
overall weather pattern,” said Noreen Schwein, an expert
in hydrology at the National Weather Service. “High pressure
will dominate the central states, so we’ll get a break from
the rainfall.” May. 1, 2008
Rain and melting snow raised the St. John to more than 30
feet — about 5 feet above flood stage — causing widespread
flooding. The previous record crest of 27.3 feet was set in 1979. The 600 people who were evacuated in the Fort Kent area and officials sighed with relief that water did not spill over a levee. Also, the International Bridge that connects Maine and Canada held up, despite fears that the raging waters could drag it down, choking the fast-moving river and sending more water into the town. "If the bridge had let go, that would've been the end
for Fort Kent. The whole town would've washed out," Police
Chief Kenneth Michaud said Thursday. No one was hurt, he said. 'Greater than 100-year event' Scientists described the flooding for the community of 4,200
people in Fort Kent as "greater than a 100-year event,"
said Lynette Miller, a spokeswoman for the Maine Emergency Management
Agency.
Monday, April 28, 2008 Governor Culver Declares Three Counties Disaster Areas “As Governor, I continue to monitor the flooding affecting communities in Eastern Iowa closely,” said Governor Chet Culver. “By declaring these three county disaster areas, we are ensuring a coordinated response between state and local emergency management officials. As flood waters continue to recede across the state, we will continue to assess damages, and take any necessary steps to ensure a quick and efficient recovery.” “As always, when in times of emergency, Iowans have banded together to fill tens of thousands of sandbags and take measures to keep their communities safe. The state remains ready and willing to help out the tremendous local response we’ve seen across Eastern Iowa .” Starting last Wednesday, Iowa was hit by several severe storms that brought damaging winds and heavy rain, which caused flooding to many communities throughout Eastern Iowa . The emergency declaration is a procedural step that allows
state resources to be deployed to local communities affected
by the storms. As flood waters continue to move downstream and
damage assessments are completed in the coming days, additional
counties may be added to the Governor’s proclamation. NewsFlash Home | More National News 4 dead, 3 missing in central US floods PIEDMONT, Mo. (AP) — Flooding forced hundreds of people to flee their homes and closed scores of roads Wednesday across a wide swath of the nation's midsection as a huge storm system poured as much as 10 inches of rain on the region. Four deaths were linked to the flooding in Missouri, a search was under way in Texas for a teenager washed down a drainage pipe, and two people were missing in Arkansas after their vehicles were swept away by rushing water. The National Weather Service posted flood and flash flood warnings from Texas to Pennsylvania on Wednesday. Heavy rain began falling Monday and just kept coming. About 10 inches had fallen by Wednesday morning in southeast Missouri's Cape Girardeau County, where street flooding marooned some residents in their homes, the State Emergency Management Agency said. The weather service said 6.7 inches of rain fell in 24 hours at Jasper, Ark., and nearly 6 inches had fallen at Evansville, Ind. Scott and Marilyne Peterson and their son, Scott Jr., scurried out of their home near Piedmont after seeing water rise 3 feet in five minutes. They had just enough time to grab essentials and their dog. "You didn't have time to worry," Scott Peterson Sr. said. "You just grab what you can and go and you're glad the people are OK." The rain in Missouri was expected to finally come to an end Wednesday as the weather system headed toward the northeast. An estimated 300 houses and businesses were flooded in Piedmont, a town of 2,000 residents on McKenzie Creek. Dozens of people were rescued by boat. Outside St. Louis, the Meramec River was expected to crest 10 to 15 feet above flood stage at some spots, threatening towns like Eureka and Valley Park. Flooding was widespread in Arkansas, washing out some highways and leading to evacuations of residents in parts of Baxter, Madison, Sharp counties, said Tommy Jackson, a spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management. The Highway and Transportation Department reported state roads blocked in 16 counties. WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today that federal disaster funds have been made available to help local governments in Southern California recover from the effects of another round of severe storms that struck the area last February.
February 16-23 Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response, said President Bush authorized the assistance under a major disaster declaration issued following a review of FEMA’s analysis of the state’s request for federal aid. The declaration covers damage to public property from severe storms, flooding, landslides, and mud and debris flows that occurred over the period of February 16-23. Federal disaster aid was authorized earlier this year for the series of storms that hit the same area of the state in late December and early January. After the declaration, Brown designated the counties of Los
Angeles, Orange, Riverside and Ventura eligible for federal funds
to pay the state and affected local governments and certain private
non-profit organizations 75 percent of the eligible costs for
emergency work and the repair or replacement of damaged facilities
Jan 2008By CATRIN EINHORN In Indiana, torrential rain combined with about a foot of melting snow to flood the northern areas of the state, said B. J. Simpson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. The authorities used trucks and boats to evacuate parts of Carroll and White Counties, moving about 450 peopel to safety because of fears of nearby dams might be overwhelmed. “We’ve never seen anything like this in January,” Tony Slocum of the state police said. “We’re expecting the water to keep rising.” The state police activated dive teams to help the evacuations. The Kankakee River was forecast to reach its highest level ever, the Weather Service said. Shay Leininger, 5, and Ashley Pruitt, 2, both of rural Fulton County, Ind., died after their mother, Megihann K. Leininger, drove her sport utility vehicle into a flooded road. The vehicle stalled before Ms. Leininger could back out, and it floated into deeper water, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department said. Ms. Leininger, 29, rescued three children, ages 4, 1 and 3 months, but could not reach the other two and was stranded on the roof when help arrived. There was also a flooding fatality in Jasper County, the state’s Department of Homeland Security said.
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