Rivers were rising rapidly across much of the Midwest and South on Saturday, prompting water rescues and road closures as a relentless storm continued to dump rain across the country.
The increased flooding, which was happening from Texas to Ohio, came after days of heavy rains and tornadoes that killed at least nine people, including a Missouri firefighter who died while responding to a water rescue call on Friday. Forecasters warned that the floods might continue well into next week, with rivers not expected to crest in some places until Tuesday or Wednesday.
Emergency workers reported overnight water rescues in Texarkana, Texas; Izard County, Ark.; and several places in southern Missouri, including around Cape Girardeau.
“We’ve got flooded streets everywhere — and lots more rain on the way,” the Texarkana police posted on Facebook.
On Friday, the local sheriff in Izard County, in northern Arkansas, was traveling to rescue a family when he crashed his truck on a washed-out road. The sheriff was not injured, but photos showed his truck partially submerged.
“All county roads will have major damage like this for the coming days that can be hidden by the water,” the department warned, adding that people should stay home if possible.
The storm has killed people across four states, including a 9-year-old boy who was swept away by floodwaters in Frankfort, Ky., and Chevy Gall, a firefighter with the Beaufort-Leslie Fire Protection District in Missouri, who died in a crash while driving to help rescue people from the floods. “Tonight is a fire chief’s worst nightmare,” the department’s leader said in a statement.
The heaviest rain so far, which has caused dangerous flooding, mostly fell in Arkansas and southern Missouri.
Wet weather is expected from East Texas to New York on Saturday, with the heaviest rains in Arkansas, the Missouri Bootheel, western Kentucky and Tennessee.
That region has already had days of rain, with some areas recording up to nine…