The weather system that spawned tornadoes that killed at least 35 people this week throughout the South and Midwest is now dumping heavy rain, triggering fears of heavy flooding.
After a slew of tornadoes that began overnight Sunday and continued Monday, forecasts for a third day of deadly twisters on Tuesday thankfully did not entirely hold up. Although there were reports of 8 tornadoes in North Carolina, they caused only minor damage and no injuries. Another four tornadoes were spotted in eastern and central South Carolina.
But there were no reports of deaths, unlike from the tornadoes that ripped Arkansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee, killing 35 people.
Instead, the new fear is flooding.
The National Weather Service has issued flood warnings and watches for large areas of the East and parts of the South from New York to Alabama.
In the Fayetteville area, there have already been reports of flash flooding as some drivers were stranded by rising water and had to be pulled from their vehicles. One person was reported dead in flash flooding in the Florida Panhandle. Flooding in Pensacola was being described by officials as "life-threatening" and of "historic" proportions.
Meanwhile, the cleanup has begun in states hard-hit by this week's storms
"We will overcome this," Louisville, Miss., Mayor Will Hill said against a backdrop of hundreds of damaged buildings, including two hilltop churches pounded to rubble, the AP reports. "We're going to work together."
The AP says:
"Authorities in Louisville searched until dark Tuesday for an 8-year-old boy missing since Monday's large tornado that killed his parents and destroyed the home where they lived. Though searchers didn't rule out finding the boy alive, officials were describing the process as one of "recovery."
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