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2 Feet Of Rain Causes Massive Flooding In Florida, Alabama

Extreme rainfall in much of the East and parts of the South is causing major problems, with Florida's Panhandle and southern Alabama — which got more than 2 feet of rain in 24 hours — bearing the brunt of the onslaught.

on the heels of a rash of deadly tornadoes

 that battered a broad swath of the country earlier this week, killing dozens of people.


 for today stretch from Massachusetts to the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. The Associated Press says the system is expected to bring heavy rain and thunderstorms to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions.


 it was the single rainiest day ever recorded, and people climbed to rooftops or into attics to escape the rising floodwaters. NPR's Debbie Elliot says Pensacola's high bluffs over the bay undermined the busy scenic highway there.
"Scores of motorists were stranded as water gushed over roads," 

. "At least one person was killed on a flooded roadway. Some homes are now flooded out, and entire neighborhoods are unnavigable. Boats have floated away from docks and are making landfall elsewhere."
The cause of 

an apparent gas explosion at a Pensacola jail

 that killed at least two inmates and injured dozens of others has yet to be determined, but the severe weather and flooding could be a factor.


 quotes Ben Kitzel, who was out in a kayak with his black Labrador retriever, Abby, on board: "There's no way this flooding is going away anytime soon," he told the newspaper. It adds:


 reports that in the Pensacola suburb of Gulf Breeze, officials "are still trying to access the situation and find people who need help."


"All Gulf Breeze police and fire officers have been called into work, helping with traffic control and taking care of any emergencies," Barrett said. "Some elderly and disabled residents needed help leaving their homes."

 in an area around the Alabama-Florida state line Tuesday and Wednesday. It was the fifth-wettest day in 143 years for the city, 

The NWS says 22 inches to 26 inches of rain fell over Perdido Bay, Wolf Bay, Foley and Orange Beach.

: "The Salvation Army will be out in Baldwin County Thursday. There are two feeding units and a disaster team in the southern part of the county. The mobile kitchens will make their way from Gulf Shores to Foley and back to Fish River, according to a spokeswoman for the Salvation Army."
In 

, state officials are helping to evacuate hundreds of residents of a senior apartment complex in the city of Laurel after rising water levels behind a nearby dam caused water to spill through a gap in the structure. Officials have been forced to open all seven flood gates.
And 

a street collapse after a retaining wall failed

Disasters

The rainfall comes close on the heels of dozens of tornadoes that killed at least 37 people earlier this week.

2 feet of rain causes massive flooding in South

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