flooding

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Heavy overnight rains quickly swamped the west Alabama city of Tuscaloosa, covering roads with water and leaving guests stranded in a motel. 

As much as 5 inches of rain fell in a brief period late Tuesday. The resulting flash flood filled cars with water and left people temporarily stranded at a motel near Interstate 20/59. No injuries were reported.

SARALAND, Ala. (AP) — This winter’s relentless rains across the South are still draining into rising rivers, leading to ongoing flooding in some communities.

In south Alabama, forecasters say the Bayou Sara is forecast to crest at 8 feet (2.4 meters) by Wednesday evening and remain near that level through the weekend.

Water has already invaded some homes in the Mobile suburb of Saraland. In northern Mississippi, recent rain and backwater flooding from the rising Mississippi River is turning neighborhoods into islands in the small community of Tchula.

Weekend storms raked parts of the Southeast, leaving deaths and injuries in their wake as a tornado smashed into a commercial district in a small Mississippi city and drenching rains fed a rising flood threat.

A woman was killed when a tornado hit Columbus, Mississippi, according to officials.

Columbus Mayor Robert Smith Sr. said 41-year-old Ashley Glynell Pounds of Tupelo and her husband were renovating a house Saturday evening, and when the husband went to get them something to eat, the building collapsed and killed her.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is looking at solutions to the persistent problem of flooding in Jefferson County near downtown Birmingham.

WBMA-TV reports a three-year study will consider multiple options to ease the persistent flooding around Valley Creek, in areas including Bessemer, Hueytown and Brighton. Rescue crews recently had to remove people from their homes near the creek because of high water.

Flash floods in north Alabama trapped people in homes and vehicles yesterday, and forecasters say the threat could last through today.

Torrential rain from a cold front moving through the state caused water to quickly cover roads and low-lying areas near Birmingham. Video and photos showed homes surrounded by water and motorists trapped in cars and trucks.

A mobile home park was evacuated in Brighton because of rising water, and fire officials say at least two people were rescued in the city.

Last weekend was a wet one across the state of Alabama, and forecasters say several spots saw record-breaking amounts of rainfall as well as flooding and rain-related damage.

National Weather Service officials say the rain was extreme in southwest Alabama, especially in Clarke County. Total rainfall for that area this weekend was 9.34 inches. Emergency management officials say 18 car and residence rescues were made Saturday night and early yesterday morning.

Nate quickly weakened to a tropical depression after making landfall in Biloxi, Mississippi and tracking north into central Alabama, but parts of south Alabama are dealing with power outages and some flooding.

Tropical Storm Cindy made landfall early this morning, and effects from the storm are still being felt across much of the northern Gulf Coast including Alabama.

Storm-related conditions have already been blamed for one death in Alabama. A ten-year-old boy from Missouri on vacation with his family in Fort Morgan, Ala. was standing outside their condominium when he was struck and killed by a log carried by storm surge.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has declared a state of emergency for the entire state of Alabama that is still in effect.

Four people were killed in Alabama as severe storms moved through the region yesterday.

Kris Ware, a spokeswoman for the Dothan – Houston County Emergency Management Agency, says the deaths occurred in the Rehobeth area in southeast Alabama, a community of around 1500 people. A suspected tornado caused a tree and power lines to fall onto a mobile home, killing four people inside.

The Dothan Eagle reports another tornado apparently touched down in nearby Taylor, Alabama, downing trees and causing some property damage.

Farmers in Alabama who have been affected by the extreme drought conditions gripping the Southeast are getting some good news from the federal government.

An unusual budget provision passed by Congress earlier this month means no one who qualifies for a government farm loan in the next four months will be denied.

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran is a Kansas Republican who chairs an agricultural appropriations panel. He says the provision allows the Agriculture Department's Farm Service Agency authority to meet the spike in loan demand by using future funding.

The city of Elba is getting ready for a town hall meeting to decide how to distribute $2 million of FEMA flood mitigation funds.

The city is using the money to buy and tear down houses damaged during the 2015 Christmas flood. Coffee County Emergency Management Director Larry Walker says there isn't enough funding for everyone who's applied for the buyout, but he says homeowners with major damage will be guaranteed assistance.

Flooding caused by remnants of Hurricane Isaac has caused extensive damage in parts of western and southern Alabama.

Swirling water lapped at the doors of businesses in downtown Selma. At least 20 cars filled with quick-rising water at an automotive dealership before workers could move them.

In Gordo, about two dozen houses were flooded, two bridges were washed out and several families had to be rescued in the town of 1,750 people.

And a commissary that provides food for thousands of elderly people in western Alabama filled with about a foot of water in Brent.