At least 23 people were killed in severe flooding in the US state of West Virginia. That said the head of homeland security and emergency services of the US state. There were children among the dead. Authorities fear that more bodies will be found in the course of the cleanup.
Governor Earl Ray Tomblin said a devastating low had led to landslides, floods and mudslides since Thursday. It is possibly the worst flood in the state in 100 years. More than 100 houses were damaged or destroyed.
Some areas of the mountainous state in the Appalachian Mountains were cut off from the outside world. Roads and tracks have been destroyed, said Tomblin. Tens of thousands of people were without electricity. The television showed pictures of raging rivers, vehicles drifting through towns and villages.
Around 500 people have been stuck in a shopping center in Elkview since Thursday because an access bridge had been destroyed by the flood, as reported by broadcaster ABC. Rescue workers helped some of them to get out of the enclosed area via an alternative route.
A state of emergency was imposed in 44 districts, making federal aid easier. The National Guard advanced in support of the local authorities.
Forest fires in California
In contrast, California experiences severe drought. At least two people died there in forest fires. As the fire department announced on Friday, the two dead were found in the popular holiday resort of Lake Isabella east of Bakersfield. The fire ate its way through the dry mountainous country so quickly that many others only barely got away with their lives. At least 75 square kilometers of land in the southern Sierra Nevada were burned and at least 80 houses were destroyed, said a fire department spokesman. The fire was driven by a violent wind. As a result, it moved 17 kilometers within 13 hours, said fire department chief Brian Marshall. His people are still involved in a “battle of epic proportions”. At least three of them suffered from smoke inhalation.
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