The governor of Iowa dispatched helicopters to a small town to rescue residents from flooded homes on Saturday, as a result of weeks of heavy rainfall, while much of the United States yearned for relief from another intense heatwave.
In Rock Valley, Iowa, with a population of 4,200, sirens began blaring at 2 a.m. prompting hundreds of residents to evacuate their homes due to the rising Rock River caused by the relentless rain. The city was also facing a water shortage as the wells were unusable.
Mayor Kevin Van Otterloo described the situation, stating, “We’ve got National Guard helicopters coming in where people are on their roofs — literally on their roofs or the second floor because their first floor is completely flooded. We’ve had so much rain here. We had four inches last night in an hour and a half time. Our ground just cannot take anymore.”
Governor Kim Reynolds declared a disaster for Sioux County, which includes Rock Valley. A drone video posted by the local sheriff depicted streets submerged under water, with only roofs and the tops of trees visible.
Across the U.S., a large portion of the population continued to endure extreme heat and humidity. The National Weather Service reported that approximately 15 million people were under a heat warning, while another 90 million were under a heat advisory. Many residents have been impacted by the unusually high temperatures in recent days.
Experts noted that the U.S. experienced the most heat waves last year since 1936. An analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data by the Associated Press revealed that over 2,300 U.S. deaths were attributed to excessive heat, marking the highest number in 45 years.
Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia were forecasted to reach temperatures around 100 degrees Fahrenheit, while other cities like Philadelphia, Newark, Columbus, and Detroit were bracing for the high 90s.
New York state saw a 500% increase in heat-related hospital visits compared to the average June day, according to the Department of Health.
Meteorologist Marc Chenard of the weather service mentioned, “We still have this prolonged heat wave across portions of the Ohio Valley and into the Northeast. We get a little bit of relief by early in the week, at least in the eastern U.S., the Northeast, but in general above-normal temperatures are going to cover a large portion of the country even into next week.”
In southeastern Michigan, DTE Energy reported that 8,300 customers were still without power on Saturday morning due to storm-related outages, a significant improvement from earlier in the week when 75,000 homes and businesses were affected.
Flooding was a major issue in South Dakota, with several highways closed including a key stretch of Interstate 29. Sioux Falls, the state’s largest city, received over 7 inches of rain in three days.
In Spencer, Iowa, flooding led to power shutdown at the wastewater treatment plant, resulting in a disruption of sewer service for the city’s 11,300 residents.
In New Mexico, heavy rain and flash flood warnings forced officials to issue mandatory evacuations and set up shelters for displaced residents.
A flash flood emergency was declared by the National Weather Service office for the city of Las Vegas, New Mexico and surrounding communities near Albuquerque on Friday night through early Saturday.
In Ruidoso, a mountain village in New Mexico, full-time residents were allowed to return on Monday after being evacuated due to wildfires. However, Mayor Lynn Crawford advised residents to bring a week’s worth of food and drinking water.
AP reporters John Hanna, Julie Walker, and Ken Miller contributed to this story.
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