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Alabama swamped, 4 killed in floods from slow-moving front

US Flash Flooding Southeast
Posted at 12:47 PM, Oct 07, 2021
and last updated 2021-10-07 13:47:36-04

PELHAM, Ala. (AP) — The death toll from flash floods caused by torrential rains in Alabama has risen to four.

Forecasters say as much as 13 inches of rain from slow-moving front covered roads, trapping people in cars and homes.

All four of the deaths occurred when water swept away vehicles, and the victims include a 4-year-old girl who died in northeast Alabama.

According to the Associated Press, an 18-year-old woman also died.

The AP reported searchers found the bodies of a man and his girlfriend, both 23, inside a vehicle that had been swept away in Birmingham.

The worst of the flooding occurred in Pelham, the AP reported, where 82 people had to be rescued from residences, and more than 15 were rescued from vehicles.

The AP reported that more than 100 rescuers and 16 boats were involved in the effort.

A flood watch remained in effect Thursday for parts of metro Birmingham, and most of the state is under a flood warning.

Three feet of water filled a Piggly Wiggly grocery store near the Florida line, and 250,000 gallons of wastewater overflowed from sewage systems in Baldwin County.