Ohio Hits Flood Crest; 58 Dead as Refugees Learn of Losses

A new torrent washed this flooded town Friday, the tears of weary refugees returning home for the first time to see just how much they’ve lost.

“I’ve cried so much my face hurts,” says Lisa McQueen, 24, hugging her husband, Randy, in front of their badly warped house.

The fourth anniversary of the McQueens’ move into the one-story, white-frame was marked Saturday by 12 inches of rain that sent the Licking River pouring through the streets of this town of 2,700.

Falmouth, where at least four people have died, dozens are still unaccounted for and most homes and businesses sustained major or total damage, was among the hardest-hit towns in floods that forced thousands from their homes along the Ohio River and smaller streams in Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia. Floods and tornadoes have been blamed for at least 58 deaths.

The Ohio crested almost 16 feet above flood stage Friday in Louisville, at 38.8 feet. The normal level at this time of year is 12 feet, and the water was not expected to drop significantly until Sunday.