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Weekend storms kill 7 across Tennessee, 4 in Miss

03 May 2010 07:35 (UTC +04:00)

Baku - APA. Devastating thunderstorms slammed Tennessee and northern Mississippi over the weekend, killing at least 15 people, five in Nashville, closing scores of highways, and leaving weeks of cleanup for thousands of residents whose homes were damaged, APA reports.
Thousands were evacuated and hundreds of others were rescued from their homes â€” some plucked from rooftops â€” as flood waters from swollen rivers and creeks inundated neighborhoods across the region. Hospitals, schools and state buildings also were flooded.
Firefighters busted through the windows of Audrey Talleyâ€™s trailer early Sunday to rescue her family, including her three small grandchildren, ages 9 months to 4 years old. Talleyâ€™s son woke her up to tell her water was coming into the trailer in south Nashville. Within 10 minutes it was knee deep.
State officials in Tennessee said Sunday the flooding is as bad as theyâ€™ve seen since the mid-1970s. Tornadoes or high winds killed at least four people, unexpected flash floods swept some unsuspecting residents to their deaths and an untold number of homes were flooded as urban drainage systems and watersheds struggled to remove the deluge.