NATION : At Least 4 Perish in Kentucky Floods

Relentless rains sent streams and creeks over their banks across Kentucky today, swamping roads, shutting down more than a dozen school systems and forcing residents to abandon their homes.

The rains that began Sunday night and dropped up to 8 inches of water on parts of Kentucky by dawn today were blamed for at least four deaths. The most serious flooding today was reported along the Rolling Fork River at Boston and along the Green River in western Kentucky. The Rolling Fork, a tributary of the Salt River, is expected to crest Thursday morning at 51 feet--16 feet above flood stage. Schools were closed for a second day in more than a dozen systems in Kentucky because of high water. Authorities said a number of families were evacuated from their homes, but no figures were immediately available.