Heavy rains led to flash floods in the Wichita area of Kansas, a state in the US. Emergency rescue teams rescued dozens of people, including drivers who were stuck in their cars.Julie Stimson, Sedgwick County’s emergency management director, said the county received between 1.5 to 7 inches (4 to 18 cm) of rain since Monday. She warned drivers not to go around flood barricades or emergency vehicles. Kansas governor Laura Kelly issued a disaster emergency declaration to allow state agencies to provide assistance.The Wichita fire department used boats to rescue people from flooded vehicles. Some cars were nearly underwater, but drivers still tried to pass through the dangerous areas.We have to put ourselves in danger with our life jackets and our boats to get them into a life jacket and into a boat to get them out of the water,” said fire captain Lance Diffenbaugh to KSN-TV. “So there’s no sense in it if they can just turn around and wait 10 minutes for the water to go down”, Diffenbaugh added.
A few roads remained closed on Wednesday morning.About 30 miles (48 km) east, in El Dorado, a city in Kansas, the Walnut River overflowed, flooding streets and homes.One resident, Michelle Yerge told KAKE-TV, “By the time we got most of the stuff out of there and were going to get the last few things, it was already up to our waist, and we were pretty much swimming to get out.”Severe storms also hit Kansas City on Tuesday. Strong winds overturned a truck on Interstate 435, blew over portable toilets and barriers near the stadiums, and knocked down trees. The national weather service issued a tornado warning, but no serious damage was reported.The bad weather also delayed the Indiana Pacers’ flight to the NBA finals in Oklahoma City. The plane had to land in Tulsa first and take a longer route, arriving 3.5 hours late due to storms.Wednesday’s forecast for Kansas showed dry weather, but more rain is expected on Thursday. Officials warned as the city has already received severe rainfall, therefore, even small amounts of rain could cause massive flooding.
