Storms swamp central Texas

HEARNE, Texas – Neighborhoods disappeared underwater in Texas and high winds ripped off roofs in Oklahoma in a day of storms that also saw North Dakotans breaking out their snowmobiles for a mid-May romp.

A 6-year-old boy was killed in Oklahoma Thursday after the car he was riding in skidded in the heavy rain.

In southeastern Texas, residents were plucked from treetops, homes and cars in more than 20 rescues. At least 10 people were hospitalized, and as many as 200 homes were damaged.

Half of Robertson County, 400 square miles, was under floodwater after 17 inches of rain fell in nine hours.

Elizabeth Keyes, 26, fled her trailer with her three young children once the water became knee-deep in Hearne, one of the worst-hit towns.

“I just grabbed diapers, bottles and left,” she said. Returning later in the day, she found her home was leaning against a tree, surrounded by her floating belongings.

Red Cross and emergency workers were going door to door Friday to assess the damage. Some roads remained closed.

“We’ve been praying for rain, and we got some, but it was more at one time than we wanted,” County Judge Fred Elliott said.

Winds of 60 mph ripped the roof off a barn near Bristow, Okla., and overturned a travel trailer in nearby Tulsa County. The high winds also downed power lines, leaving 20,500 customers in the Tulsa area without power, officials said.

Parts of North Dakota, meanwhile, reported 8 inches of snow, giving some residents a chance to fire up their snowmobiles as workers repaired electrical lines.

“They were cruising up and down the ditches having a good old time,” said Kerry Mikkelsen, line superintendent for the Cavalier Rural Electric Co-op in Langdon. “Just so they can say they were snowmobiling in May.”

Associated Press

Shoes dry out on Robert Booth’s porch Friday in Hearne, Texas, after his home was flooded.

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