Rising rivers threaten South, Midwest after barrage of rain and tornadoes; at least 18 dead

NASHVILLE — Rivers rose and flooding worsened Sunday across the South and Midwest, threatening communities already waterlogged and badly damaged by days of heavy rain and wind that killed at least 18 people.

From Texas to Ohio, utilities scrambled to shut off power and gas, while cities closed roads and deployed sandbags to protect homes and businesses.

In Kentucky, downtown Frankfort, the state’s capital, was inundated.

“As long as I’ve been alive — and I’m 52 — this is the worst I’ve ever seen it,” said Wendy Quire, the general manager at the Brown Barrel restaurant.

As the swollen Kentucky River kept rising Sunday, officials closed roads and turned off power and gas to businesses in the city built around it, Quire said. “The rain just won’t stop. It’s been nonstop for days and days,” she said.

Forecasters warned that flooding could persist for days, as torrential rains lingered over many states, including Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama. Tornadoes are possible in Alabama, Georgia and Florida, forecasters said.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said Saturday that the Ohio River rose 5 feet in 24 hours and would continue to swell for days.

“We expect this to be one of the top 10 flooding events in Louisville history,” he said.

The 18 reported deaths since the start of the storms Wednesday included 10 in Tennessee. A 9-year-old boy in Kentucky was caught up in floodwaters while walking to catch his school bus. A 5-year-old boy in Arkansas died after a tree fell on his family’s home and trapped him, police said. A 16-year-old volunteer Missouri firefighter died in a crash while trying to rescue people caught in the storm.

The National Weather Service on Sunday said dozens of locations in multiple states were expected to reach a “major flood stage,” with extensive flooding of structures, roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure possible.

There were 521 domestic and international flights canceled within the U.S. and more than 6,400 delayed Saturday, according to FlightAware.com, which reported 74 cancellations and 478 delays of U.S. flights early Sunday.

The storms come after the Trump administration has cut jobs at National Weather Service forecast offices, leaving half of them with vacancy rates of about 20%, or double the level of a decade ago.

Officials warned of flash flooding and tornadoes Saturday across Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky. All of eastern Kentucky was under a flood watch through Sunday morning.

In north-central Kentucky, emergency officials ordered a mandatory evacuation for Falmouth and Butler, towns near the bend of the rising Licking River. Thirty years ago, the river reached a record 50 feet, resulting in five deaths and 1,000 homes destroyed.

The weather service said 5.06 inches of rain fell Saturday in Jonesboro, Ark., making it the wettest day ever recorded in April in the city, dating back to 1893.

As of early Sunday, Memphis, Tenn., had received 14 inches of rain since Wednesday, the weather service said. Across the Arkansas border, West Memphis received 10 inches.

Forecasters attributed the violent weather to warm temperatures, an unstable atmosphere, strong winds and abundant moisture streaming from the Gulf of Mexico.

In Dyersburg, Tenn., dozens of people arrived Saturday at a storm shelter near a public school in the rain, clutching blankets, pillows and other necessities.

Among them was George Manns, 77, who said he was in his apartment when he heard a tornado warning and decided to head to the shelter. Just days earlier the city was hit by a tornado that caused millions of dollars in damage.

“I grabbed all my stuff and came here,” said Manns, who brought a folding chair, two bags of toiletries, laptops, iPads and medications. “I don’t leave them in my apartment in case my apartment is destroyed. I have to make sure I have them with me.”

Kruesi and Izaguirre write for the Associated Press. Kruesi reported from Nashville and Izaguirre from New York. AP writers Bruce Schreiner in Shelbyville, Ky., Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Ark., Adrian Sainz in Memphis and Sophia Tareen in Chicago contributed to this report.