Evening star., 1951-03-31
Heavy Rain and Thaw,
Spread Floods Over
Wide Area Of Nation
BY the Assoeiotsd Press

BY the Assoeiatsd Press
Drenching rains Of the last two
days sent swollen rivers In the
South over their banks today, with
Others approaching the food stage.
Heavy rains and melting SHOWS
also inundated parts Of New York
and New Jersey in the East, and
North Dakota and Illinois in the
Midwest.
About 1900 persons already
have been driven from their
homes in Mississippi. with two
deaths reported due to high
waters. Scores of families were
fleeing their Alabama homes, with
one man reported missing.
At Childersburg. Ala, the Coosa
River passed 80 feet early today,
and was inching up to its highest
food stage in more than a half
century. With a large section Of
the city under water, NATIONAL
Guardsmen and Red Cross workers
averted a possible tragic toll of
lives. Simple food stage there Isl
20 feet.
People Taken Out of, Trees.
'We got people out of trees and
of roof tops and got them places
to eat and Sleep" Capt. George
M. Limbaugh Of the National
Guard said.
Childerstlrg's main water sup
ply failed, but cooperation by
residents gave promise of the
auxiliary supply holding out. Res
idents were asked to use water
only Is minutes every two hours.
The floodwater menace was
growing In Eastern Mississippi,
where the rampaging Tombigee
River was expected to reach a i
crest of 40 feet at Columbus, Miss,
tomorrow. The eastern part Of
the city already is under water. |
A 40-foot crest would be II feet |
above flood stage.
At Selma, Ala, a dangerously |
high crest of 47 feet was expected.
The West Alabama town of
Northport, crippled for the last
two days by fioodwaters, saw the
Warrior River crest at 66 feet
and begin low fall of one-tenth
of a foot per hour. The Warrior
had surged ~ feet in a 24-hour
period.
Georgia Town Flooded.
Rome, Ga, also reported the
Costanaula River over its banks,
with many homes flooded.
Melting snow and rains in North
Dakota sent the Knife River over
its banks, forcing o score of
families to evacuate their homes.
The Mississippi River spread its
waters over the levees outside
Quincy, III. Although a number
Of families were forced to fee
their lowland~ homes, serious food
damage was not anticipated. Il
In Upstate New York, the heavy
spring rains threatened to wash
away small dwellings. with many
highways blocked by landslides or
doodwaters. : =
Boulders Close Highway.
In Ulster County, the area
around Phoenicia was reported
hard hit. Huge boulders. loosened
by the constant downpour, rum
bled unto the New York State
throughway between Saugerties
and Catskill and forced closing Of
the north lane Of the new stretch
Of superhighway.
In the New York City metro
politian area, roads were flooded
and in the city itself. some streets
were water-blocked temporarily
and some cellars were flooded. An
inch and a half of rain fell in
the area yesterday. l.
Plane fight schedules at La
Guardia Field and Idlewild Air
ports returned to near normal last
night. after numerous cancella-
tions throughout the day. Early
today, the New York Weather Bu-
reau changed its storm warnings
to small craft warnings.
Heavy rains and high winds
pasted sections Of Northern New
Jersey last night, flooding streets,
roads and cellars. A state of emer-
gency was declared in East Pater-
son, where so homes were flooded.