Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 23 May 2019
Rivers rising in waterlogged central U.S.; more rain to come

This image taken from video provided by KOCO-5 shows homes dangerously close to the Cimarron River on Wednesday, May 22, 2019 near Crescent, Oka.
Associated Press

By KEN MILLER "The biggest concern is "The levee system is work- Schinstock, assistant city land.
Associated Press more rain," Oklahoma Gov. ing the way it's supposed to administrator. If the river Deaths from this week's
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Kevin Stitt said during a right now," he said. reaches its predicted crest storms include a 74-year-
— Waterlogged parts of news conference follow- Near Crescent, about 34 of 27.8 feet (8.47 meters) old woman found early
the central U.S. braced ing an aerial tour with Tulsa miles (55 kilometers) north Thursday, it would be the Wednesday morning in
Wednesday for more rain, Mayor G.W. Bynum and of Oklahoma City, erosion second-worst flood ever Iowa. Officials there say
following days of severe other officials Wednesday left several homes hang- for the town of about 5,400 she was killed by a possible
storms that have battered morning. ing over the swollen Cimar- residents. tornado that damaged a
Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and The deluge inundated ron River. One unoccupied Elsewhere, the Mississippi farmstead in Adair Coun-
Oklahoma and caused at roadways, closing high- home rolled into the river River was at or approach- ty. Missouri authorities said
least three deaths. ways in 22 Oklahoma coun- Tuesday, and authorities ing major flood stage from heavy rain was a contrib-
Authorities urged residents ties and 17 Kansas coun- say others could collapse. Iowa through southern uting factor in the deaths
of several small towns in ties, along with more than More than 9 inches (23 Missouri and Illinois. At St. of two people in a traffic
Oklahoma and Kansas to 330 Missouri roads. Amtrak centimeters) of rain has fall- Louis, the Mississippi was ex- accident Tuesday near
leave their homes as rivers suspended train service en since Sunday in parts of pected to crest Monday at Springfield.
and streams rose. In the Wednesday and Thursday Oklahoma after an already nearly 12 feet (3.7 meters) A fourth weather-related
Missouri capital of Jefferson along a route between St. rainy spring. above flood stage. If that death may have occurred
City, the mayor issued a Louis and Kansas City be- "Any rainfall we get just holds, the Coast Guard will in Oklahoma, where the
mandatory evacuation for cause of congestion and continues to saturate the likely close the river to navi- Highway Patrol said a wom-
an area involving a handful flood-related delays. soils that are already satu- gation for the second time an apparently drowned af-
of homes. The city's airport The Arkansas River, which rated. Especially rivers and this month. ter driving around a barri-
also has been evacuated. was just above 37 feet (11 streams," said Oklahoma Along the Missouri River, cade Tuesday near Perkins,
The Arkansas River was ap- meters), or 9 feet (2.74 me- State Climatologist Gary about 50 levees in Missouri about 45 miles (72 kilome-
proaching historic highs, ters) above flood stage, at McManus. could be overtopped by ters) northeast of Oklaho-
while the already high Mis- Muskogee, Oklahoma, was "There is simply nowhere for Saturday as high water lev- ma City. The unidentified
souri and Mississippi Rivers expected to eventually this water to go" as it flows els move downstream, ac- woman's body was sent to
were again rising after a reach 43.5 feet (13.26 me- downstream from Kansas, cording to the Army Corps the state medical exam-
multi-day stretch of storms ters). Officials encouraged according to McManus. of Engineers. iner's office to confirm the
that produced dozens of residents in several com- In Kansas, residents in parts The river was expected cause of death. Oklahoma
tornadoes. Forecasters pre- munities along the river to of the city of Iola, along the to crest Thursday at 36.1 Department of Emergency
dicted parts of Oklahoma, leave their homes. Neosho River, were being feet (11 meters) near the Management spokeswom-
Missouri and Kansas could But Bynum, Tulsa's mayor, urged to evacuate and of- town of Glasgow, Missouri, an Keli Cain said she isn't
see more severe weath- said his city of more than ficials had set up on emer- overtopping agricultural le- yet listed as what would be
er Wednesday night into 400,000 people was safe so gency shelter at a com- vees and inundating some the state's first storm-relat-
Thursday. far. munity college, said Corey homes, highways and park- ed death.q