At Least Three People Have Died in Floods in the Midwest. An Iowa Man Drowns in His Basement
Police say a man in northwest Iowa drowned in his basement during the severe flooding that hit the Midwest last week. This brings the death toll in the area to at least three.
Kyle Kreykes’ body was found on Monday, after his family reported him missing on June 21. Rock Valley Police Chief Monte Warburton told CNN on Friday that the body was found.
Kriegel said Kreykes had drowned in the wet basement of his home, where he lived alone.
Warburton said that crews could not check Kreykes’ house for a few days because the water level was too high. Heavy pumps were brought in to drain the water from the flood.
On Monday, President Joe Biden declared a disaster in several Iowa counties, including Clay County.
Officials in Iowa and South Dakota say that the flooding has also killed at least two other people.
A news statement from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday said that a man died in the city of Spencer on Saturday when he tried to drive his pickup truck across fast-moving floodwaters.
It was found that the man from Elburn, Illinois, was floating in the Little Sioux River after being swept away.
It was very dangerous at the time, so “recovery efforts were not attempted,” the news release said. The man’s body was found by officials Tuesday morning.
A second person died in a flood-related accident near Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Saturday. He was 87 years old and driving a utility car.
A news report from the government on Tuesday said, “The driver tried to turn around, but he went backward over the edge of the washout.” “The UTV began to roll, and the driver was thrown out.”
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem confirmed the death at a news gathering on Sunday and asked people to stay away from flooded areas.
She said, “I want everyone to remember the power of water and the flow of water.” “These are very high flood levels.”
Noem also said that many river stations upstream have broken records for water level and flow.
Source: CNN