Flash Floods In Kansas

A storm dumped up to a foot of rain over parts of northeast Kansas early Sunday, sparking flash flooding that left people stranded in their homes and cars.

The hardest hit areas were Jefferson and Jackson counties, said Joy Moser, spokeswoman for the Kansas Division of Emergency Management. About a foot of rain fell overnight in Jefferson County, and up to 10 inches was reported in Jackson County.

Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius has declared an emergency in four counties hit by flash flooding. This, after a storm that dumped up to a foot of rain over the northeastern part of the state.

No serious injuries have been reported. But emergency crews have been using airboats to navigate fast-moving floodwaters that have left people stranded in homes and cars.

The National Weather Service in Topeka has issued a flood warning for the Kansas River at Lawrence. It says minor flooding is occurring and is expected to continue.

"The water in the creeks came up, and the homes are surrounded," said Don Haynes, the county's director of emergency service. "Who plans for this kind of rain?"

He said emergency crews are checking on stranded residents in several towns.

A shelter was opened in an Oskaloosa church, where officials expect to house about a hundred evacuees.

A nursing home in Leavenworth County was evacuated early Sunday, and the Kansas Highway Patrol rescued a man from a car on Kansas Highway 4. A mobile home also was reported to have washed away in Jackson County, but the home's resident made it out safely.

"But now he's stuck in a tree," Moser said early Sunday. "They're working to get him out."

Heavy rain was also reported in northwest Missouri, with water over the roads in Platte City, Mo., the National Weather Service said.