At least two people have died in flooding caused by powerful storms that damaged homes, washed out roads and stranded motorists in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan.
In northern Wisconsin, an 84-year-old Illinois man died yesterday when his vehicle became submerged in a flooded ditch, according to Bayfield County sheriff's officials, who identified the victim as Delmar Johnson of Tower Lakes, Illinois.
A firefighter was able to rescue the man's wife, also 84, who was a passenger. The firefighter went back in the water and pulled Delmar Johnson from the vehicle, but couldn't resuscitate him, officials said.
Also in Wisconsin, the Iron County Sheriff Tony Furyk said today that Montreal firefighter Mitchell Koski died in the flooding, but the sheriff declined to provide details. Furyk said the 56-year-old Koski was also a former county board member and was once mayor of Montreal, a city of about 800 near Hurley.
In southern Michigan, a woman and her 2-year-old son were rescued yesterday evening in Jackson after lightning struck and toppled a tree onto their car, trapping them for about an hour. Storms that hit the state yesterday flooded roads and left several thousand homes and businesses without power in Jackson County.
The Michigan Emergency Operations Center was activated to provide assistance to those affected by the storms.
In Minnesota, Gov. Mark Dayton planned to travel today to Litchfield and Watkins, where in Monday's tornadoes flattened homes and uprooted trees. No serious injuries were reported.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker declared a state of emergency on yesterday in eight northern counties, including Bayfield and Iron, where sections of major highways and secondary roads remained flooded.
The governor instructed the Wisconsin National Guard and all state agencies to help those affected by the storms.
