Storms, Floods Plague Wide Swath of Nation

Thunderstorms swept across the Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio valleys on Thursday with tornadoes and drenching rain that caused flooding in the Midwest.

A tornado ripped through the small Amish community of Ethridge in southern Tennessee, killing three people and injuring at least 20. It was one of about 40 twisters that raked the state.

Another tornado struck a shopping mall in Nashville shortly after noon, destroying businesses and injuring 26 people, one critically, officials said. Kentucky also had a tornado from a line of storms that rolled across the central part of the state. Approximately 50 people were injured, one seriously.

Thursday night, tornadoes also spun through northern Alabama not far from the Tennessee line, leveling at least five houses and 15 mobile homes and injuring more than 40 people, authorities said.

Missouri has received up to 10 inches of rain since Sunday, with more forecast through the weekend. Flooding along the Missouri River and small streams forced residents to evacuate.

Flooding also forced evacuations in southern Illinois.

“You get out and let the river do what it has to do,” said Dennis Groves, a 38-year Hartsburg, Mo., resident who had five feet of water in his white frame house two summers ago. A dozen friends helped load his belongings into pickup trucks.