Water rescues are taking place in Arkansas following a recent round of severe storms that have hit various parts of the U.S. and Canada. The severe weather, including high winds, tornadoes, and flooding, has caused widespread damage and fatalities from the Plains to New England. In Marion County, Arkansas, in the Ozark Mountains region, up to 11 inches (nearly 28 centimeters) of rainfall occurred overnight into Wednesday, leading to significant flooding and destruction of numerous bridges in the area.
In Keene, New Hampshire, and upstate New York, storms downed trees and damaged homes, while flooding in Toronto temporarily closed major roads. The Chicago area experienced severe weather as well, with the National Weather Service confirming 17 tornadoes in northern Illinois and northwestern Indiana, including 11 during an intense storm on Monday night. Utility companies are working to restore power in the Midwest, with approximately 115,000 homes and businesses still without electricity in Illinois and Indiana on Wednesday, according to PowerOutage.us.
Tragedy struck in Elsah, Illinois, where an elderly couple lost their lives when their car was engulfed by a flash flood near St. Louis. The couple’s SUV was submerged in rapidly rising Mill Creek following heavy rainfall. The Jersey County Sheriff’s Office reported the death of an 88-year-old woman found in the vehicle, and later, the discovery of the body of an 88-year-old man near the creek bank. An emergency dispatcher played a crucial role in rescuing a 70-year-old man in another vehicle by advising him to exit through the sunroof before the water reached dangerous levels.
In Rockford, Illinois, a 76-year-old man drowned after the pickup truck he was a passenger in became trapped in a creek during a storm on Sunday. The driver survived the incident. Additionally, in Cedar Lake, Indiana, a 44-year-old woman lost her life when a tree fell on her house in the southern outskirts of Chicago late Monday, according to the Lake County coroner’s office.
