Midwest Floods Swamp Iowa Neighbors as More Severe Storms Loom
Devastating floodwaters continue to wreak havoc across the Midwest, with millions of Americans under flood alerts and forecasters warning that more severe storms are on the horizon. While Iowa has so far avoided the worst of the destruction, the storms are expected to impact Des Moines and other major metropolitan centers in the coming days.
Upwards of 36 million people were under flood alerts Thursday across the region, according to the National Weather Service. Its forecast offices in Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Tennessee warned that rainfall across each state could be persistent and widespread, potentially drenching parts of each state with another 4 inches or more.
What's the current situation in the Midwest?
Flooding submerged Indiana neighborhoods in water for the second day in a row, as parts of the state saw Wednesday the highest daily rainfall totals ever recorded in their areas. Since Monday, 277 flash flooding incidents have been reported across the Ohio Valley, according to CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan, as deadly storms and tornadoes slammed the region.
Since Tuesday, leaders in the region have declared seven different flash flood emergencies, and a quarter of a million people in Indiana and Illinois woke Thursday to power outages caused by the storms.
New Castle, Indiana received more than 11 inches of rain in just over a day. Such a high rainfall rate is extremely rare, with only a 1 in 1,000, or 0.1%, chance of it happening in any given year.
How are communities coping with the flooding?
Many people had to be rescued by boat in Cambridge City, Indiana, after catastrophic floods on Wednesday left them stranded. Water filled city streets, rising several feet in the hardest-hit places and seeping into, at best, the ground floors of local homes. Some residents faced harsher conditions, with the deluge completely covering the roofs of their cars or crashing into their homes through doors and windows.
One man desperately clung to a light pole in Cambridge City as muddy, brown water swirled around him, before he was eventually rescued. Another, Christian Corder, of nearby New Castle, Indiana, evacuated his home after it flooded and told CBS Mornings that dealing with the aftermath has been very overwhelming.
A lot of stuff is ruined, Corder said, recalling how the rain never stopped, it just kept coming and coming.
CBS News correspondent Meg Oliver said she encountered several washed-out roads and detours along a five-hour drive across Indiana on Wednesday that was supposed to take three. Even the region's major interstate highway, I-70, was partly shut down after a section of it buckled under the weight of pounding rain.
Cambridge City streets remained submerged in water Thursday or were otherwise caked in mud, said Oliver.
The destruction hasn't been limited to Indiana: Wednesday's flash flooding swept as far south as Knoxville, Tennessee, where fire trucks blocked off waterlogged streets. It came on the heels of an initial bout of severe weather that blasted parts of Ohio a day earlier. That storm left a trail of damage described as historic by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.
What does this mean for Iowa?
Forecasters warned the worst may not yet be over for some Midwesterners, as rivers continued to swell Thursday in states previously struck by this week's floods. Rising water levels could challenge records in some areas, potentially reaching levels not seen in more than a century.
In addition to Indianapolis, the oncoming storms could impact multiple metropolitan centers, including Des Moines, Louisville and Nashville, where most flood warnings and watches weren't scheduled to lift before Friday.
Excessive runoff may result in flooding of creeks, streams, and other low lying and flood prone locations, said the weather service office in Jackson, Kentucky, on Thursday, in an alert issued for a vast portion of the state.
Although forecasters have said Illinois would likely be spared from the strongest and most destructive storms, a flood watch for the Chicago area was set to take effect Thursday evening and last until Friday morning, CBS Chicago reported.
What should Iowans do to prepare?
With Des Moines in the potential path of the oncoming storms, Iowa residents should monitor local weather alerts and be prepared for possible flash flooding. The National Weather Service recommends having an emergency kit ready, knowing your evacuation routes, and avoiding driving through flooded roadways.
Iowa officials urge residents to stay informed through local news outlets and the National Weather Service's Des Moines office for the latest updates on storm conditions and potential impacts.