Violent weather hits Midwest as Southern flooding persists
Violent weather pounding the Midwest has spawned widespread damage. There are reports of multiple tornadoes that touched down Tuesday, including one that hit northwest of Springfield, Illinois.
Other areas saw high winds that knocked over trucks and damaged homes. Hail the size of golf balls poured down. No one was reported hurt. The storms also fueled powerful lightning strikes over downtown Chicago.
But flooding is still a major concern in the South.
From above, the damage to communities in southeastern Texas is unmistakable, reports CBS News' David Begnaud. Parts of the vital Interstate 10 along the Texas-Louisiana border are shut down as the Sabine River rises to record levels.
In Deweyville, hundreds of homes are damaged from some of the worst flooding this town has ever seen.
"Lots of people in Deweyville have lost everything that they have. Their homes are flooded completely," resident Tami Covington said.
Fire chief Mark McCall's home has about four feet of water inside.
"Oh, it's devastating. ... We've come through two hurricanes, and we didn't see this," McCall said. "We've gone through droughts, fires, but this rising water like this, we've never seen this."
We rode along with rescuers as they searched the town. Left behind are stranded dogs, horses and other pets, along with residents refusing to leave despite mandatory evacuation orders.
"If the house goes underwater I'll leave; until then, no, I'm staying right here," one resident said.
"After the water goes down, you're going to see how determined these people are; they're going to come in they're going to scrap the mud out of there house ... and the people that were born and raised here are gonna rebuild," McCall said.