Muddy Waters Flood Florida’s Panhandle, Force 2,000 to Flee

Muddy waters surging through Florida’s Panhandle region on Tuesday forced more than 2,000 people to flee their homes, authorities said.

More than 1,500 people were evacuated in three Florida counties flooded by the rising Choctawhatchee River and about 500 others were moved from other Panhandle river basins flooded by runoff from Alabama and Georgia, where heavy rains fell last week.

The worst flooding in the South was in Alabama. At Selma, about 500 people were evacuated Tuesday as the Alabama River became a miles-wide lake.

At Elmwood Cemetery in Selma, about half a dozen coffins popped out of the ground Monday. Workers in rowboats tied them to trees to keep them from floating away.