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CNN Live Today

Severe Storms Pounding Midwest For Over a Week

Aired May 13, 2002 - 10:01   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We begin this hour with weather-related stories. First up, check out these live pictures that we're getting from St. Louis, Missouri, more misery along the Mississippi, looking at these live pictures from the arch. Severe storms have been pounding the Midwest for over a week now, and the river is creeping up steps below the gateway to the arch. It's hard to kind of see from this picture. Perhaps we'll get a better look a little bit later on.

It is threatening towns in the St. Louis area. We want to talk about this weather that has hit the Midwest. Many parts of the country still struggling with severe drought, but too much rain is the problem in places like we have just seen. Missouri among the Midwestern states hit with severe storms and flash flooding.

Paul Schankman with our affiliate KTBI is joining us now. He is Desloge, Missouri with the latest on these floodwaters -- Paul good morning.

PAUL SCHANKMAN, KTBI REPORTER: Good morning, Daryl. You were talking about just how brutal the weather has been the past few weeks here. Of course, many people are beginning to think that it certainly resembles the walkup that we had to the great flood of 1993. Now, scientifically speaking, it is not the same, but it certainly has that feel, and that has a lot of people on edge.

We had a terrible tragedy here last night. More storms moved through the area. It continued well into the morning. Several inches of rain hitting already swollen rivers and creeks, and as a result, two people have died. One man in Iron County, Missouri just south of here, and we are just south of St. Louis, died last night when flash floodwaters rose up quickly around his mobile home. His wife and son were able to get out, but he was caught in a tree, and before rescue workers could get to him, he was swept away and drowned.

Also in St. Claire, Missouri, a man was killed when his car was washed away by flash floodwaters. He was not killed initially by the water, but the flash flood slammed his car into a tree and the impact killed him. Clearly, floodwaters in this area of that sort are not something to be trifled with.

Here in Desloge, Missouri by comparison the damage is completely different, because this area was hit by what we are told now was a tornado last night associated with those same storms that led to the flooding in other parts of the area. You can see that trees have been snapped off. Over here, there are pieces of roof in the street, more trees. This was an auto body shop that happened to be for sale. I don't think they are going to get very many takers anymore out here. But fortunately, there are no injuries in this area.