At least three people have died in floods in parts of the Midwest and South, as hundreds flee their homes to escape the rising waters.
Heavy rain and snowmelt sent rivers bursting over their banks in Northern Indiana, Southern Michigan, and parts of Illinois, Ohio and elsewhere this week.
In central Michigan’s Fairplain Township, a one-year-old girl was found dead on Wednesday in standing water from rains and snowmelt in her family’s backyard. Child Protective Services is investigating.
In Oklahoma, authorities said a 53-year-old man drowned when he drove onto a flooded bridge near Stilwell and was swept off the roadway.
In Peotone, Illinois, a 52-year-old woman died early Tuesday when her car rolled into a flooded ditch and was submerged, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Flood warnings are in effect across a wide swath of the central and southern US, from Wisconsin, Illinois and Ohio to Texas and Louisiana. More than 30 million people are under flood watches or warnings.
The St. Joseph River has overflowed its banks and has flooded Leeper Park on Wednesday in South Bend, Indiana
Lance Lawson carries his dog Kawi, a 9-year-old pitbull, away from his flooded home on Wednesday in South Bend
Firefighters use a raft to rescue Samantha Tucker, center, and her young child and infant, after rising flood waters submerged her home on Wednesday in South Bend
Flood warnings are in effect across a wide swath of the central and southern US, from Wisconsin, Illinois and Ohio to Texas and Louisiana. More than 30 million people are under flood watches or warnings.
Teens in Newport, Kentucky look across the rising waters of the Ohio River toward Cincinnati on Tuesday
The American Red Cross said it has opened eight shelters in northern Indiana, where crews used boats to help residents evacuate their homes.
‘I ended up grabbing my favorite blanket and stuffed animals,’ 15-year-old Madison Schmidt, who was evacuated from her home in Elkhart, Indiana to a shelter at a church, told the Elkhart Truth. ‘I got into the boat. Seeing what happened, just almost made me cry.’
In South Bend, a city of about 100,000, record-high flooding along the St. Joseph River closed down a wastewater treatment plant for several hours. The river was expected to stay above its major flood stage until Tuesday.
‘This remains major flooding and it’s going to be that for a while as water from the whole county continues draining into the river, even though the rains are mostly behind us,’ South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg said.
Buttigieg issued an emergency declaration for the city, allowing for tougher enforcement of numerous street closures.
Water floods US 33 in Goshen, Indiana on Wednesday, causing road closures between Indiana Avenue and Chicago Avenue
In this aerial image, the Elkhart Central High School football field is flooded on Wednesday in Elkhart, Indiana
Emergency crews help evacuate residents on Wednesday in Elkhart. Crews are using boats to help northern Indiana residents amid flooding from melting snow and heavy rain moving across the Midwest
Firefighters in Goshen, Indiana pull a boat containing three women who were rescued from a group home on Wednesday
In Southwest Michigan, the Coast Guard said it has rescued more than 40 people and their pets from flooded neighborhoods.
States of emergency were declared in the Lansing area as officials recommended the evacuations of several neighborhoods. Flooding also hit nearby Michigan State University.
City officials in Lansing said anyone living in the possible flood areas should temporarily leave their home by midday Thursday.
‘While the rain has stopped, we are expecting significant flooding,’ Lansing Mayor Andy Schor said.
Fear of the rising river also prompted the evacuation of a nursing home in Ottawa.
Two days of rain in southern Wisconsin also swelled waterways, leading to a handful of high-water rescues.
A dirt truck plows through water in Flint, Michigan, passing by two cars rendered unreachable by tow trucks after driving too deep into the the flooded street caused by heavy overnight rainfall on Wednesday
High floor waters caused several motorists to become stuck on Tuesday in Flint, Michigan. Waters have continued to rise
Mathias “Dale” Dekker of Ubley pilots his rowboat to assist John Parker of Lansing, after the Michigan State student took an ill-advised run through the flooded Red Cedar River and stalled near the MSU football stadium on Wednesday
Flint resident Brayden Benado, 5, looks out the window of his parent’s car on Tuesday. Brayden was rescued earlier from a vehicle that became stuck when it was driven into high flood waters
The South and Midwest may get no reprieve, with several more storm systems set to pass over the region in the coming days
The storm system started pushing heavy rain, snow and ice into the region earlier this week, affecting roads and other low-lying areas.
The system has been blamed for hundreds of car crashes and several deaths, including a crash that killed four people along an icy interstate in Nebraska.
Areas along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers may be in for more high water in the coming days, as the floodwater makes it way downstream.
The South and Midwest may get no reprieve, with several more storm systems set to pass over the region in the coming days.
The Mississippi Delta, Ozarks and Texarkana could see severe thunderstorms Saturday night into Sunday, according to the Weather Channel.
Heavy rainfall and flash flooding will remain a concern through parts of the South and Midwest through this weekend.