The warm side of Winter Storm Eboni has brought along with it rains and heavy storms that have triggered flash floods and street flooding throughout areas of Mississippi and Alabama. Roads and some major highways are being blocked in order to provide safety for the surrounding communities and motorists after rescue for stalled motorists in high water areas became necessary. Thanks to the severity of Eboni, there are even No Travel Advisories being given in areas of North Dakota. Officials state that if traveling is a must, emergency kits are a must as well.
While there are deaths attributed to the dangerous and icy weather in Kansas, Minnesota, and North Dakota, the flooding and severe weather has done its own damage and also taken lives in Tennessee and Louisiana. A woman’s body was recovered after a 3 hour long search was called for on Friday morning after she fell into a rain-gorged creek near Chattanooga on a camping trip with friends. Another woman, located in Ponchatoula, Louisiana passed away Wednesday morning, thanks to the treacherous high winds in her area that caused a tree to fall onto her camper with her inside.
In Mississippi and Texas, storms have brought on unusual levels of flooding and strong winds have created an issue of downed trees which landed on vehicles, homes, and power lines. The need for emergency rescue has been utilized in both locations. Parts of Mississippi have received more than 11 inches of rain overnight.
In Georgia, roads have been closed due to high levels of standing water. A woman and her two month old infant had to be rescued from her truck when it ran off the road and into a nearby lake, causing it to be nearly fully submerged in surrounding water. Street flooding has caused evacuations to become necessary in several areas in the western parts of Georgia.
In Tennessee flooded roads have been reported in the Gatlinburg area.
In Louisiana, due to homes becoming flooded, emergency shelters have been opened and a Trader Joe’s location donated over 10,000 lbs worth of perishable goods to a food bank after having lost power just outside of New Orleans.
In North Carolina, flooding of streets, homes, and businesses have been reported, as well as reports of a dangerous mudslide.
This storm system is is steering east and southeast while the cold has stayed predominantly in the western parts of the United States. More rain throughout the weekend and into early next week is anticipated.