Storms, Floods Shake Midwest

Death toll rises, heavy rains continue
By Caroline Zimmerman,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 24, 2007 4:50 PM CDT
Storms, Floods Shake Midwest
Streets are shown surrounded by flood waters Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2007 in downtown Findlay, Ohio. Firefighters and a volunteer armada navigated boats through streets awash in waist-deep water Wednesday, plucking neighbors and pets from porches as flooding that has swamped the Upper Midwest and Plains...   (Associated Press)

Powerful thunderstorms, humidity, and sky-high temperatures are making the flooding situation in the Midwest even stickier. The death toll has climbed to 17, and businesses and infrastructure have taken a big hit. Meanwhile, residents are returning home in droves as floodwaters abate, only to find that the electricity is out and they have no way to keep cool.

The storm system hit Chicago last night, tearing the roof off an industrial facility and injuring 40 people, the AP reports. The Des Moines River overflowed its banks. In Ohio, temperatures in the 90s are frustrating cleanup efforts. But one Chicago bartender saw the bright side: "People would not leave. We had $2 margaritas, and people were getting hammered." (More tropical storms stories.)

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