Rain, Hail Pelt Midwest; Guard Sandbags Rising Montana River

Thunderstorms drenched the Upper Midwest on Friday, straining dams and flooding roads in southern Michigan, where residents were still recovering from flooding two weeks ago.

The storms spread rain and hail whipped by 50-m.p.h. wind gusts across Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. The National Guard was called out in north-central Montana to help sandbag a rain-swollen river.

In Grand Rapids, Mich., an inch of rain fell in nine minutes, flooding many streets and intersections. Consumers Power Co. officials said about 18,000 customers in Kent and Ottawa counties were without power Friday.

In South Haven, Mich., two miles of Interstate 196 was closed for two hours Friday because of water four feet deep under an overpass, state police Sgt. Charles Keebler said.

50 to 70 Homes Damaged

A state of emergency was declared in Van Buren County, Mich., where more than $200,000 in damage was sustained by 50 to 70 homes and more than seven inches of rain fell in two days.

The Breedsville Dam on the Black River in Van Buren County was holding Friday, but some water breached the top, spilling two feet of water onto secondary roads, police said.

In Waukegan, Ill., gubernatorial candidate Adlai E. Stevenson III had to slip into firefighting boots to wade through a flooded parking lot to reach a radio station for an interview. Nearly four inches of rain fell in that city.

The storms also spread heavy rain across southern and eastern Wisconsin, as winds gusted to 50 m.p.h. at Randolf and hail pelted Horicon. The strong winds uprooted trees, knocked down power lines and damaged several buildings.

Guard Called Out

In Malta, Mont., the National Guard was called out Friday to help residents stack sandbags along the Milk River. One person drowned Thursday, and many animals died.

Gov. Ted Schwinden mobilized the guard to help reinforce dikes at Malta when heavy rains Thursday caused what the National Weather Service called the worst flooding in 30 years along the Canadian border.