Severe weather wreaks havoc across the US — from Midwest flooding to deadly Northeast storms

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Severe weather over days has caused havoc and destruction across the U.S. That includes torrential rains and flooding in the Upper Midwest and powerful storms in the Northeast that left a least two people dead from falling trees.

The deadly storms that raked parts of the Northeast late Wednesday into early Thursday spun off tornadoes and initially left some 250,000 customers in the region without power.

The National Weather Service confirmed that a tornado moved through parts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts on Wednesday evening, and in western Pennsylvania, the storms are believed to have spun off at least three tornadoes. High winds of up to 70 mph (113 kph) brought down power lines and trees and damaged some homes and other structures in the area. No injuries were reported.

The storms came on the heels of widespread flooding in parts of the Midwest after days of torrential rains soaked the area. A 52-year-old man drowned in his Iowa basement after the foundation collapsed and debris pinned him down, the Des Moines Register reported Thursday. Flooding is attributed to at least two other deaths — one in Iowa and one in South Dakota — caused by driving near flooded areas.

Much of the country has also been hit with a scorching heat wave as scientists have sounded the alarm that climate change is likely to bring more weather extremes.

Here is where weather events stand in the U.S. and what's expected in the coming days:

Heavy rains over days engorged the Blue Earth River, sending water surging around the Rapidan Dam in southern Minnesota. Rushing water washed away large chunks of the riverbank and carried a shipping container with it as it toppled utility poles and wrecked a substation.

A home that had stood near the banks of the river for decades saw the ground gradually erode from underneath it until it collapsed into the river Tuesday.

While his house is gone, David Hruska plans to keep the nearby family store, called The Rapidan Dam Store, going — if it doesn't fall into the raging river, too. The swelling water had eroded the land away to only about about 10 feet (3 meters) away from the building,

Local law enforcement has been helping salvage items from the store “in case it disappears," Hruska told The Associated Press. If it remains on solid ground, the family hopes to move the entire structure.

“It can be done, we’ve looked into that,” he said. “But it’s just too saturated now. We got to wait for things to dry out a little more, so they can get their heavy equipment in there to get it out of there.”

In northwest Iowa, neighborhoods in Sioux City and smaller towns have been ravaged by floodwaters. Gov. Kim Reynolds toured the damage alongside federal officials Thursday.

Some communities are still dealing with failing water and sewer systems as residents work to clean up debris. In Rock Valley, officials were tagging homes with color-coded signs to indicate whether they were safe to enter.

Communities along the west fork of the Des Moines River were bracing for the impacts of the swollen river, although officials were encouraged that the threat appeared to be easing.

The river crested Thursday morning at Humboldt, Iowa, at about 17 feet (5 meters) and was expected to soon recede, said Humboldt County Emergency Management coordinator Kyle Bissell.

The southeastern corner of South Dakota was hit hard this week with torrential floods that devastated the lake community of McCook in North Sioux City, collapsing streets, felling utility poles and trees, and washing several homes off their foundations.

Along the Big Sioux River in the town, the flooding broke apart a more than 100-year-old railroad bridge.

Near the small town of Canton, Bob Schultz saw flooding destroy most of his soybean and corn crops.

“They were absolutely beautiful, had a good stand and no weeds,” he said Thursday. “Then the rain started, and we live by the river, and there’s nothing we can do about it."

In northeastern Nebraska, South Sioux City and other nearby towns along the swollen Missouri river saw flooded low-lying riverfront roads, homes and cropland.

Downstream, flood warnings were in effect for communities along the river through much of next week, but the flooding has been less severe there than expected.

Those further south along flooded tributaries have been scrambling to get ahead of any flooding as the glut of water makes its way downstream.

Justin Spring and dozens of volunteers have spent days hauling his entire inventory of heavy auto parts and machinery to higher ground from his auto recycling business located along the Missouri River in Plattsmouth, a low-lying Nebraska city of about 6,500.

“It was all friends and other businesses who helped move it all out,” he said. “It was just a lot of community support. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”

The river is expected to crest at 32.3 feet (9.8 meters) Saturday. That is high enough to flood riverfront roads and flood Plattsmouth's water wells. If it holds to below 33 feet (10 meters), Spring's machine shops should be spared, he said.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Omaha said Thursday that it has limited releases from Gavins Point Dam on the South Dakota-Nebraska border in an effort to ease flooding along the lower Missouri. That has been helped by slowing flows of rivers into the dam, the Corps said.

This story was first published on Jun. 27, 2024. It was updated on Jun. 28, 2024 to correct the identity of the person who spoke to the AP about the Rapidan Dam Store. The AP spoke to David Hruska, not his father, Jim Hruska.

The story was updated to correct that the Des Moines River crested in Humboldt County early Thursday, not late Wednesday.

Fingerhut reported from Des Moines, Iowa. Associated Press journalists Bruce Shipkowski in Trenton, New Jersey, Karen Matthews in New York, John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, and Lisa Rathke in Montpelier, Vermont, contributed to this report.

David Hruska, whose parents bought the Rapidan Dam Store and adjacent house in 1972, is photographed Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Rapidan, Minn. He says he hopes to salvage what he can before the flooding river that eroded the bank under his home also claims his family’s business. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)

Floodwater continues to carve a channel around the Rapidan Dam, Thursday, June 27, 2024, near Mankato, Minn. Water breached the earthen abutment early Monday morning and rapidly eroded the west bank of the Blue Earth River. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)

Floodwater continues to carve a channel around the Rapidan Dam, Thursday, June 27, 2024, near Mankato, Minn. Water breached the earthen abutment early Monday morning and rapidly eroded the west bank of the Blue Earth River. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)

Floodwater continues to carve a channel around the Rapidan Dam, Thursday, June 27, 2024, near Mankato, Minn. Water breached the earthen abutment early Monday morning and rapidly eroded the west bank of the Blue Earth River. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)

Floodwater continues to carve a channel around the Rapidan Dam, Thursday, June 27, 2024, near Mankato, Minn. Water breached the earthen abutment early Monday morning and rapidly eroded the west bank of the Blue Earth River. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)

A Skid Loader scoops up debris after residents were forced to dump trash at the high school after being unable to access the city dump while trying to clean up after flooding over the weekend, Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in Canton, SD . (AP Photo/Josh Jurgens)

Debris is shown stuck on the Grand Avenue Bridge over the Little Sioux River as a sump pump forces water back into the river, in Spencer, Iowa, Tuesday, June 25, 2024. The bridge was closed to traffic as of noon Tuesday. (Tim Hynds/Sioux City Journal via AP)

Volunteer Tyron Berkenpas, an employee of Maintainer Corporation in Sheldon, Iowa, removes a bag of flood-damaged items, Tuesday, June 25, 2024, from the basement of a home on East Second Street in Spencer, Iowa. Spencer, population of about 11,400, is recovering after the Little Sioux River flooded a large section of the city this past weekend. Officials there say about 40% of properties in the city were affected by the flooding. (Tim Hynds/Sioux City Journal via AP)

Jared Gerlock, left, and his son, Robbie, carry a bin of water-logged stuffed animals, out of the flood-damaged basement of their home on East Second St. in Spencer, Iowa Tuesday, June 25, 2024. Officials say about 40% of properties in the city were affected after the Little Sioux River flooded. (Tim Hynds/Sioux City Journal via AP)

Rachel Morsching sits Tuesday, June 25, 2024, on the flooded porch of her father Dean Roemhildt's home in Waterville., Minn. Waters from the nearby Tetonka and Sakatah lakes have encroached on the town amid recent heavy rains. (Casey Ek/The Free Press via AP)

The innards of a house near the Rapidan Dam in Rapidan, Minn., are visible as waters from the Blue Earth River rush by, Monday, June 24, 2024. (Casey Ek/The Free Press via AP)

After flooding in the area over the weekend, Rotary Park finally emerges from the depths of the Big Sioux River. Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in Canton, SD. (AP Photo/Josh Jurgens)

A tornado is seen near Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. More severe weather was forecast to move into the region Tuesday, potentially bringing large hail, damaging winds and even a brief tornado or two in parts of western Iowa and eastern Nebraska, according to the National Weather Service. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette via AP)

Heavy rains in recent days have submerged farmland near Vermillion, S.D., on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. Flooding has devastated communities in several states across the Midwest. (Jake Hoffner via AP)

A bridge crossing Beaver Creek, on the property of Lori Lems, is devastated after flooding in the area over the weekend. Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in Canton, SD. (AP Photo/Josh Jurgens)

Rising water from the Mississippi River envelopes the riverbank, Wednesday, June 26, 2024, at Harriet Island Regional Park in St. Paul, Minn. (Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via AP)

This drone photo provided by AW Aerial shows a home as it teeters before partially collapsing into the Blue Earth River at the Rapidan Dam in Rapidan, Minn., Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (Andrew Weinzierl/AW Aerial via AP)

This drone photo provided by AW Aerial shows a home as it teeters before partially collapsing into the Blue Earth River at the Rapidan Dam in Rapidan, Minn., Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (Andrew Weinzierl/AW Aerial via AP)

This long-exposure drone photo provided by AW Aerial shows a home as it teeters before partially collapsing into the Blue Earth River at the Rapidan Dam in Rapidan, Minn., Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (Andrew Weinzierl/AW Aerial via AP)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — So long, Sphere. And say goodbye to the NHL’s centralized draft — for now, at least.

The league is planning to shift from its current setup, in which team executives and scouts are all gathered on the floor of a venue to make their selections, to doing so remotely from their headquarters next year.

Though plans are not complete, the expectation is the league will still hold some type of draft celebration in one of its markets for television purposes and to draw fans, and featuring its top prospects, much like the NFL draft is conducted.

Several team executives shared the pros and cons of making the switch during the two-day, seven-round draft held in Las Vegas this weekend.

“From a club standpoint, it’s excellent, because you can talk freely ... and there’s a lot more room to spread out,” Columbus Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell said in favor of holding the draft remotely.

“The negatives are, there’s always a lot more trades made in person,” he added.

Waddell’s biggest concern in going remotely is having fewer prospects — especially those projected to go in the later rounds — in attendance.

“We drafted a kid in the sixth round, and he’s here with his parents. And they’re excited,” Waddell said of selecting defenseman Luke Ashton, who is from North Vancouver, British Columbia. “You’re only going to get drafted once. And that’s probably the most disappointing thing for me, is the kids will lose out on that opportunity.”

Toronto GM Brad Treliving said there’s nothing like having the entire NHL community together under one roof. Treliving, however, voted in favor of going remote because of scheduling constraints with the start of the free agency period almost immediately following the draft.

“Everything being jammed up,” Treliving said. “I love the draft. I’d love to do it every year. It’s just scheduling more than anything else.”

Treliving and his staff as well as the Washington Capitals are among teams staying in Las Vegas so not to lose time traveling home with free agency signing opening on Monday.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said there no expectation of the league changing its decision for next year, after teams favored the decision to go to a remote draft.

Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon said the Golden Knights were one of the few teams to vote in keeping the status quo.

“I went to 27 NHL drafts in a row before I ever worked at an NHL draft,” McCrimmon said. “And I just loved going to the draft. I was always fascinated by everything about it.”

The shift in going to a remote draft represents a split between teams' hockey departments, who favor the status quo, and the business side focusing on saving on travel and hotel expenses.

Vancouver Canucks president Jim Rutherford is taking a wait-and-see approach.

“I don’t have an opinion until we try the other way,” Rutherford said. “And once we try that for a year, I think everybody will be able to make a good decision as how we go forward.”

Kevin He, who was selected 109th by Winnipeg, became just the second Chinese-born player chosen in the draft, following Andong Song, who went 172nd to the New York Islanders in 2015. Both are from Beijing.

Harrison Brunicke, who is from Johannesburg and grew up in western Canada, was the second South African-born player drafted, going 44th to Pittsburgh. He joins goalie Olie Kolzig, who was also born in Johannesburg, and went No. 19 to Washington in 1989.

Three players from Latvia were drafted, matching a draft record for the eastern European nation. Eriks Mateiko went 90th to Washington, followed by Mikus Vecvanags (No. 134 to Montreal) and Darels Uljanskis (No. 214 to Anaheim).

Flyers general manager Daniel Briere said progress is being made on forward Matvei Michkov finally arriving in Philadelphia, but ruled out the Russian being in attendance for the team’s development camp next week. Briere added there’s also been progress on signing the 2023 first-round draft pick to a contract.

“There’s a lot of logistics that have to go in. Immigration, visa, and all that stuff,” Briere said. “I don’t have a timeline as far as when we expect him in Philadelphia, but it’s looking good. It’s moving in the right direction.”

Michkov was cleared to join the Flyers after being released by his club in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League.

With the draft over and the Blue Jackets not anticipating to be too active once the free agency period opens on Monday, Waddell can begin focusing on hiring a coach in Columbus.

“I officially haven’t interviewed anybody yet. I’ve talked to some people,” said Waddell, who took over the Blue Jackets in late May, and fired Pascal Vincent in mid-June.

There’s no rush, Waddell said, noting Columbus is the NHL’s only team without a coach. Waddell previously said he planned on having a list of 12 candidates, before narrowing it to four before starting the interview process.

Freelance writer W.G. Ramirez contributed to this report.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

The stage and video screens are seen during the first round of the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 28, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Steve Marcus)

An image of the Sphere is displayed during the first round of the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 28, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Steve Marcus)