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Deadly Flooding Hits Midwest, Plains

By SCOTT BAUER,
AP
Posted: 2007-08-22 07:06:24
Filed Under: Nation News
GAYS MILLS, Wis. (Aug. 20) - Relentless thunderstorms pounded parts of the Midwest and the Plains on Monday, causing mudslides, washing out bridges and flooding towns. At least 12 people have died since the weekend.

Remnants of Tropical Storm Erin dumped heavy rain in southwest Missouri on Monday, leaving one town temporarily cut off. Over the weekend in Oklahoma, the same system swamped buildings, led to dozens of water rescues and left six dead.

In southwestern Wisconsin on Monday, emergency workers braced for more rain and flooding. A storm system over the weekend left six dead in southeastern Minnesota; one man was still missing Monday.

As the light rain continued to fall in southwestern Wisconsin Monday morning, there were stark reminders of the flooding. Two days of thunderstorms turned the countryside into swamps, drowned crops, eroded bluffs and strained dams.

Touring the devastation, Gov. Jim Doyle's entourage made its way into Gays Mills, a burg of about 640 people on the Kickapoo River. The river crested at 17 feet, 5 feet above flood stage, and left the downtown in waist-deep, peanut butter-colored water.

Mason Evans Jr. told Doyle he lost everything but the galoshes, sweatpants and sweatshirt he was wearing. Evans said there was 8 feet of water in his house and he'd lost his camper, motorcycle, gold ring and wallet.

"It broke me," Evans said of the flood. "You don't know what to do."

Helicopter Rescue

In Missouri, some of the worst damage was in Pleasant Hope, a town of 700 residents near Springfield. Dozens of homes were damaged or destroyed, emergency management director Rick Davis said. Some parts of the town got 15 inches of rain in a four-hour period.

For a time, all roads into the town were cut off.

"We've never had this kind of water," Davis said. "It's just a mess."

The heavy rain was a remnant of Tropical Storm Erin, said meteorologist Doug Cramer of the National Weather Service office in Springfield. The precipitation was moving east and was expected to begin losing steam, Cramer said.

In Oklahoma, Leroy and Bernice Krittenbrink were among those rescued from the water. Their truck was carried by flood waters for 90 minutes before a state police helicopter rescued them.

Bernice Krittenbrink, 66, and her 72-year-old husband had to hold on to the skid of the helicopter, but she lost her grip and fell back into the shallow water. The helicopter crew rescued her a second time and brought her to safety.

Bernice Krittenbrink said she and her husband "were just sore and all" but otherwise OK.

While residents began to clean up from the weekend flooding that killed at least six people in Minnesota, a dive team and a National Guard helicopter searched unsuccessfully a second day for Jered Lorenz, 37. His overturned car was lodged in the rocks along a creek near Lewiston.

Officials said it appeared Lorenz was crossing a bridge over a creek and was swept away, eventually settling along the creek more than 100 feet downstream. They said the victim is believed to have been wearing camouflage clothing, making the search more difficult.

The search is expected to resume Tuesday.

Associated Press writers Murray Evans in Kingfisher, Okla., Robert Imrie in Wausau, Wis., Carrie Antlfinger in Milwaukee, Scott Bauer in Rushford, Minn., and Amy Forliti in Caledonia, Minn., contributed to this report.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2007-08-20 07:13:46
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244 comments

XxShayXx48117 11:50:45 AM Aug 21 2007

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Easy Killer, What does any of that have to do with...Flooding in The Plains???

Your comment shows the lack of intelligence you have.

ljarrus 05:54:00 AM Aug 21 2007

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tSpeaking on the book of REVOLATION the star was woormwood has also passed by mostly unknoticed but if you ask arround the inner city hospitals or check dateline nbc people are repoting in stagering numbers being attacked by skin worms that create skin ulcers that do not heal it is now called an "emerging dissease" and the C.D.C. has dubbed it MORGELLINS DISSEASE.. hip hop culture refers to it as hell snakes and the drug bugs=this is because people in the city remember how they started =the muslims sent them here through the HEROIN from AFGANISTAN that the US policy allows them to keep producing and distributing in exchange for their so called help from local " tribal war lords"= "A.K.A.drug dealers!".When the dots were connected by the government and they realized what had happened they did not shut down the muslim drug lords or try to treat the Infected people =who are contagious to a mild degree , they as usual covered up .. THEN the BUSH FLUNKIES tried to stop contaminated HEROIN

bananasplittxsty 03:24:18 AM Aug 21 2007

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mthanhq,
You are everywhere!! How you do dat???

trinagurl28 03:01:50 AM Aug 21 2007

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WHY DO PEOPLE ADD AN "S" AT THE END OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION?

rwnamvet68 02:28:00 AM Aug 21 2007

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jimphylburke 11:35:13 PM Aug 20 2007
HE HAS A PERFECT RECORD OF HIS PROPHECIES COMING TRUE. AND THERE ARE HARDLY ANY LEFT TO COME TO PASS

Ok here is a BIG one for you. Go to the Book of Revelations, Chapter 8, Vs 11. ?And the name of the Star was Wormwood?. This is one more of God?s little tricks that he is going to throw at us, and it will be the end of a life style on Earth as we know it. It has an orbit of 3600 years. Last time it passed was Noah?s flood in 1500 something BC. Now it is due to return. NASA is tracking it from the Antarctic. It is due to pass from late 2009 to late 2012. Its secrecy is almost that of the Manhattan project.
Find out what NASA is hiding, and what the Government does NOT want you to know. Believing it is not my concern, you have been informed.

www.ReturnofPlanetX.c**

trinagurl28 02:27:15 AM Aug 21 2007

Report This!

13 LESS REPUBLICANS,...THEY DESERVED IT,...GOOD RIDDANCE!

rwnamvet68 02:16:00 AM Aug 21 2007

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mthanhq 11:49:32 PM Aug 20 2007
By the way, if you were in a Communists Block, or Socialists Country; you would have been tracked down, thrown in prison, tortured, forced to confess to treason, then you would be shot.

Now stuff that in your bong and hit it dude........

rwnamvet68 02:08:00 AM Aug 21 2007

Report This!

mthanhq 12:52:35 AM Aug 21 2007
INFERIOR BOEING 737 DESIGNED BY STUPID "CUTTING CORNERS" AMERICANS LED TO CHINESE JET FIRE

Put together with parts made in China.

SEE HOW JESUS LOVE OTHER PEOPLE BUT HATE THE AMERICANS?

You got a screw loose bud. Jesus loves everyone, even you..

I fought in a conflict and lost a few friends because we thought we were doing something right; defending the South Vietnamese, so they could enjoy the freedom, too express their opinions.
Now, as an American, I don?t necessarily agree with your thinking, but I would defend with my life, your right to think so.
Don?t judge all Americans for the shortcomings of its enterprises or administration.
Your statements put you right there with the very ideas you are talking against. You need an attitude adjustment my friend.

trinagurl28 01:56:40 AM Aug 21 2007

Report This!

13 LESS REPUBLICANS,...THEY DESERVED IT,...GOOD RIDDANCE!

mthanhq 12:52:35 AM Aug 21 2007

Report This!

BOYCOTT USA MADE PRODUCTS

INFERIOR BOEING 737 DESIGNED BY STUPID "CUTTING CORNERS" AMERICANS LED TO CHINESE JET FIRE.

HAD IT BEEN THE AMERICANS, NONE WOULD HAVE MADE IT OUT ALIVE.

WHY? BECAUSE AMERICANS ARE FAT, LETHARGIC, UGLY, STUPID, RACIST BABARIANS.

SEE HOW JESUS LOVE OTHER PEOPLE BUT HATE THE AMERICANS?

JESUS DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO SAVE THE TRAPPED US MINERS. IN FACT, HE ALLOWED MORE TO BE KILLED FROM RESCUING ATTEMPTS.

MINDLESS US KILLER FANATICS RELENTLESSLY DROPPED BOMBS AND KILLED 250 CIVILIANS; THEN BLAMING IT ON "ETHNIC CLEANSING"

US ARMED FORCES = IMMORAL TERRORISTS = COWARDS = PIRATES = NAZIS = MURDERERS = ROBOTS = "FOOL AND TOOL" = CANNON FODDERS = HIRED GUNS = RAPISTS = PEDOPHILES = BRAINWASHED KILLERS

AMERIKKKAN SHEEPLE = SELFISH FUNCTIONAL ILLITERATE KNUCKLES DRAGGING BABOON SLAVES

"HIGH, MA NAM IS chEORGE bOOSH. WHEE ART NOMBUR 1. WHAI? BACOQST WHEE KANG ONELY KOUNQ WHUP TA 1.

MEESHION AKKOMPOLISHT!

BREENG IDT ONG!

WHEE ARE KKKristianSS.

HEIL AmeriKKKA"

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