A missing couple found dead in a submerged car brings to 9 the number of victims of storms

The bodies of a man and a woman were found Friday in a submerged vehicle near Mississippi, Missouri, bringing the number of deaths to nine following storms that ravaged the central United States this week and threaten to cause severe flooding during the holiday weekend.

John Reinhardt, 20, and Caitlin Frangel, 19, of Hazelwood, Missouri, were reported missing on May 15.

Their bodies were found around 4 am on a flooded rural road that runs along the river at Portage Des Sioux, about 40 miles north of St. Louis.

The Missouri Highway patrol soldier, Dallas Thompson, said that an autopsy had determined that they had both drowned.

"We think that they went into the dark, not knowing that the roadway was flooded and they were unable to get out," Thompson said.

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On Friday, authorities announced that a senior couple had been thrown to about thirty meters and that another woman had died in her mobile home when tornadoes ravaged the state.

Kenneth Harris, 86, and his 83-year-old wife Opal were found hundreds of meters from their home in Golden City, while 56-year-old Betty Berg died when her small house was was destroyed on Thursday.

Midwestern storms killed two more people in Missouri earlier this week, as well as one death in Oklahoma and another in Iowa.

Heavy rains in recent weeks have caused severe flooding in several states.

Flooding along the Arkansas River will threaten communities in Tulsa in western Arkansas for at least the holiday weekend, officials said Friday, adding that the water released from A dam in Oklahoma combined with additional rainfall.

In order to control the floods in Tulsa, the US Army Corps of Engineers began Friday to increase the amount of water discharged into the river by the Keystone Dam northwest of the city. about 400,000 inhabitants.

"The dam does what it is supposed to do. It has kept the flood at a reasonable level, said US Senator James Oklahoma, James Lankford, following an aerial tour of the area.

The river at Tulsa was just above 22 feet on Friday, four feet above the flood level, and should stay at this level until Tuesday.

Riverside residents were asked to leave their homes and at least one oil refinery suspended operations.

"The most disturbing thing that our first responders told us in the last 24 hours is that parents would have let their kids play in the river," said Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum.

"If you're a parent who lets your child play in this river right now, you should be ashamed of yourself."

Arkansas officials were preparing for a record flood as water descended downstream.

Governor Asa Hutchinson said the state of emergency Friday to lift the barriers that public agencies can do to help flooded areas along the Arkansas River.

The proclamation took place after he ordered the National Guard to set up high-sea rescue teams in the western part of the state on Saturday and that the Corps of Engineers warned the locals to stay on the riverfront throughout the Memorial Day weekend.

"We hope people are now going to safer areas," said Aric Mitchell of the Fort Smith Police Department in Arkansas.

The Arkansas River is expected to reach 23 meters by Sunday near Fort Smith, the second largest city in the state with nearly 89,000 residents.

It's almost 20 feet above the flood level and 3 feet above the record of 38.1 feet set in 1945.

"The shops nearby, the residences could be flooded (…), it will be a disaster," said the Meteorologist of the National Meteorological Service, Pete Snyder. "We have not seen it reach such a high level before. It's a different situation than the one we've ever seen.

The concerns of Oklahoma and Arkansas are the result of violent storms that have exacerbated spring floods throughout the Midwest and spawned dozens of tornadoes.

According to Meteorological Meteorologist Matt Mosier, of Norman's Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma, it is expected to rain more rain during the weekend from West Texas to the US. ;Illinois.

On Friday, the floodwaters of the Missouri River broke through a dam in Jefferson City and closed some streets around the Capitol, as locals worked to clean up one of the bends, which cut a long road. 3 km through the city earlier this week.

Jefferson City Airport had already been evacuated, but other residents and workers were driving precariously on flooded roads to escape the rising waters.

The Capitol Building is located on a cliff on the south side of the river and is not likely to be flooded.

The tornado had also damaged the Missouri seat for the Special Olympics, prompting the organization Friday to cancel its summer games.

The residents of the state capital about 200 kilometers from Jefferson City were warned to barricade themselves inside the vehicle as the tornado was throwing cars at a concession site, injuring about 20 people.

The National Meteorological Service confirmed that a large destructive tornado had flown over the city of about 42,000 inhabitants shortly before midnight Wednesday.

Police Lieutenant David Williams said the tornado had cut a path about 3 km long from the south end of Jefferson City north, towards the Missouri River.

Rescuers reported about 20 wounded, said Williams, and a hundred people went to shelters.

Hospitals reported treating injuries such as cuts and bruises.

There have been no immediate reports of dead or missing persons in the capital and it seems that everyone has been found after door-to-door checks almost completed on Thursday night, Williams said.

Many in Jefferson City considered themselves lucky to survive.

David Surprenant observed the approach of the storm then rushed to join his family in the basement. By then, the windows had begun to break and the pressure had dropped.

"It was the most terrifying sound of all time, and I had the impression that it took your breath away," says Surprenant, 34. He and his family were unharmed.

Kevin Riley operates a car dealership next to Surprenant's home where he sells Chevrolet and Toyota vehicles. He estimated that 98% of the 750 vehicles in the lot had been damaged.

Lincoln University President Jerald Woolfolk overcame the tornado in the basement of his official residence, which may have saved his life.

University spokeswoman Misty Young told the Jefferson City News-Tribune that the house, built 103 years ago, was so damaged that it seemed uninhabitable.

Meteorologists were following the storm before his arrival and the first sirens sounded at Jefferson City at 11:10 pm – about 30 minutes before the first material damage.

Governor Mike Parson attributed the warning system to saving lives.

President Donald Trump tweeted the governor to say, "We are talking to the people of Missouri when they wake up to assess the damage caused by the storms. You are strong and resilient, and we are here to help you.

The NWS said preliminary information indicated that the tornado at Jefferson City was an EF-3, which typically carried winds of up to 160 mph.

Severe weather has shifted from Oklahoma, where rescuers have struggled to pull people out of high water. This week was marked by several days of tornadoes and torrential rains in the southern and central-western plains.

Kerry Ann Demetrius is locked in the bathroom of her Jefferson City apartment in the approach of the storm.

"It looked as if things had been thrown away, everything was getting bogged down, and then everything was quiet," she said. She emerged and discovered that the roof had been blown from her building.

Another natural disaster could be imminent in Jefferson City. Most of the city, including the tornado, lies on a cliff overlooking the south bank of the Missouri River.

But the inflated river is expected to breach a dam on the north side of the river on Friday, potentially flooding the city's already evacuated airport.

The Missouri administration office said several state office buildings had been damaged, mainly from the roof.

A tornado also crossed the city of Eldon, a population of 4,900 people, about 30 kilometers from Jefferson City, where it damaged the business district and destroyed several neighborhoods, "said Mike Rayhart, director of management of Miller County emergencies.

But Mayor Larry Henderson said the residents of Eldon were counting on their blessings. Despite all the damage, only one man was injured when the wind returned his truck. Henderson did not have details about human injuries.

A twister also caused damage and injuries in the city of Carl Junction, not far from Joplin, on the eighth anniversary of the terrible tornado that killed 161 people in that city.

Police Chief Delmar Haase said nearly three dozen homes were badly damaged and several people were slightly injured. He estimated that the total damage to Carl Junction was "several million".

According to the NWS, the EF-3 tornado that hit Carl Junction is one of four tornadoes that fell on this region Wednesday night on a trail of about 50 miles.

Meteorologist Mark Burchfield of Springfield, Missouri, said Thursday that the tornado that hit Carl Junction was on the ground for a distance of about nine miles.

He added that the deadly tornado EF-3 outside Golden City was on the ground for a distance of 12 miles.

The weather was expected to move Thursday to the east, forecasters claiming that parts of the Ohio Valley and central Atlantic coastline, including Baltimore and Pittsburgh, could see tornadoes , heavy hail and strong winds.

Storms and torrential rains have ravaged the Midwest from Texas to Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois in recent days.

Two barges carrying a total of about 3,800 pounds of fertilizer went off Thursday and floated in the bloated Arkansas River in Oklahoma, setting off the alarm downstream when they struck a dam. and sank.

On Facebook, Webbers Falls, in Oklahoma, warned the 600 inhabitants of the city: "If the dam breaks, it will be catastrophic! Leave now !! & # 39;

The barges floated uncontrollably, again and again, since Wednesday night near the city of 600, which was the subject of a mandatory evacuation order due to floods.

Aerial footage of KFOR television in Oklahoma City shows the moment of impact shortly before Thursday noon.

The Corps of Engineers of the Army was checking the condition of the dam.

Le Corps du génie de l'armée a immédiatement inspecté le barrage et a déclaré que seuls des dommages "minimes" avaient été constatés. Cependant, les barges naufragées ont coulé et bloquent trois des 12 vannes du barrage.

Près de Tulsa, environ une douzaine de maisons ont été évacuées alors que la rivière Arkansas continuait à grossir.

Le potentiel d'inondations ultérieures a également amené la raffinerie Holley Frontier à fermer temporairement.

Des responsables de Tulsa ont déclaré que de nouveaux résidents pourraient être invités à évacuer, le corps d'armée de l'armée augmentant le débit d'un barrage au nord-ouest de la ville afin de drainer un bassin versant inondé de violents orages.