Midwest deals with water overflow

OTTUMWA, Iowa -- Heavy thunderstorms flooded portions of the central United States again Friday, knocking out the water supply in one Iowa city and disrupting a major transcontinental highway.

As much as a foot of rain fell in central Iowa during the night and flood warnings were posted for areas from northeast Kansas to northern Illinois.

Thunderstorms have raked the same sections of the Midwest for nearly a week, repeatedly dousing some areas and saturating the ground. At least 13 deaths have been blamed on the storms.

Officials in Ottumwa, a town of 25,000 in southeastern Iowa, declared an emergency Friday after sewage backed up into the water treatment plant and it had to be shut down.

They said the city would run out of potable water later in the day and it may be 36 hours before it can be restored. Restaurants were ordered closed and plants closed.

High water forced Indiana officials to close the eastbound lanes of Interstate 80, a major east-west transcontinental highway. Many rural and secondary roads were under water across the region, though the situation in Ohio was improving.

Floodwaters had begun to recede in the worst-hit towns and communities but rivers remained above flood levels and 17 highways were still under water, the Ohio Emergency Management Agency said.

Thousands of Ohioans were still in shelters, including between 500 and 1,000 residents of Findlay, where waist-deep waters submerged the downtown and many neighborhoods through much of the week.

Officials urged residents to be cautious about pumping out water from basements too quickly, warning that the pressure from soaked soil surrounding buildings could cause foundations to collapse.

Weather forecasts show a continued chance of rain for several days, while temperatures have soared to more than 90 degrees in much of the state.

Public schools in Cincinnati were closed for the second straight day due to the heat, expected to hit 100 degrees Friday. Indianapolis schools cut classes to a half day for the second day because of the heat.