Heavy Storms Flood Midwest, Plains

Marlon Raidt wades through rising floodwaters after rescuing two cats on Sunday, Aug. 19, 2007, in Kingfisher, Okla. (AP Photo/The Oklahoman, James Plumlee) (James Plumlee - AP)

GAYS MILLS, Wis. -- Relentless thunderstorms pounded parts of the Midwest and the Plains on Monday, causing mudslides, washing out bridges and flooding towns. At least 12 people have died since the weekend.

Remnants of Tropical Storm Erin dumped heavy rain in southwest Missouri Monday, leaving one town temporarily cut off. Over the weekend in Oklahoma, the same system swamped buildings, led to dozens of water rescues and left six dead. Storms brought wind gusts up to 82 mph and golf-ball sized hail to Lincoln, Neb., on Monday evening.

In southwestern Wisconsin on Monday, emergency workers braced for more rain and flooding. A storm system over the weekend left six dead in southeastern Minnesota; one man was still missing Monday. Heavy rains also caused flooding, road closures and sewage treatment systems to overflow in Iowa, authorities said.

Two days of thunderstorms turned the countryside into swamps, drowned crops, eroded bluffs and strained dams.

Touring the devastation, Gov. Jim Doyle's entourage made its way into Gays Mills, a burg of about 640 people on the Kickapoo River. The river crested at 17 feet, 5 feet above flood stage, and left the downtown in waist-deep, peanut butter-colored water.

Mason Evans Jr. told Doyle he lost everything but the galoshes, sweatpants and sweatshirt he was wearing. Evans said there was 8 feet of water in his house and he'd lost his camper, motorcycle, gold ring and wallet.

"It broke me," Evans said of the flood. "You don't know what to do."

In Missouri, some of the worst damage was in Pleasant Hope, a town of 700 residents near Springfield. Dozens of homes were damaged or destroyed, emergency management director Rick Davis said. Some parts of the town got 15 inches of rain in a four-hour period.

For a time, all roads into the town were cut off.

"We've never had this kind of water," Davis said. "It's just a mess."

The heavy rain was a remnant of Tropical Storm Erin, said meteorologist Doug Cramer of the National Weather Service office in Springfield. The precipitation was moving east and was expected to begin losing steam, Cramer said.

In Oklahoma, Leroy and Bernice Krittenbrink were among those rescued from the water. Their truck was carried by flood waters for 90 minutes before a state police helicopter rescued them.