Montgomery, AL – As skies cleared today, parts of Alabama is struggling with scattered flooding from heavy rains and wind damage, a lengthy deluge that led to rescue operations when cars were engulfed in water.
Emergency crews evacuated about 70 people Monday night from a bingo hall in a low-lying area between Jasper and Sumiton. The crews returned Tuesday with a boat to reach employees who stayed behind.
Two teenagers from Arab had to be rescued by emergency personnel late Tuesday afternoon when their Jeep was swept away by rising water at the foot of Ruth Mountain Road.
More than 6 inches of rain since Monday also caused flooding across Etowah County. A main water line in the Egypt community broke because of flooding, leaving at least 19 homes without water.
According to the National Weather Service, the hardest-hit areas with rainfall and scattered flooding were north of Interstate 20, while wind damage - especially toppled trees - were mainly in Shelby and Bibb counties.
No injuries were reported.
Flood warnings were posted today for small streams in Lawrence, DeKalb, Jackson, Madison, Limestone, Marshall, Cullman and Morgan counties.
And flooding remained a concern for the Black Warrior and Tombigbee rivers.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)