In Amesviille, Ohio, pupils stranded at a school ate pizza and played bingo.

In Amesviille, Ohio, pupils stranded at a school ate pizza and played bingo.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The violent remains of Hurricane Ivan pounded a large swath of the eastern United States on Friday, drenching an area from Georgia to Ohio, washing out dozens of homes, sweeping cars down roadways and trapping more than 100 pupils at an elementary school in southern Ohio.
The storm, which has killed 70 people in the Caribbean and at least 38 in the United States, retained its destructive power over land even as its wind speed dropped.
More than 8 inches of rain in some areas triggered deadly floods, hundreds of thousands of people were without power, and tornadoes were reported as far north as Maryland. Even after the storm was no longer a hurricane, it was responsible for the deaths of eight people in North Carolina, four in Georgia and one in Tennessee.
North Carolina deaths
In the southwestern corner of North Carolina, four people were killed and as many as 30 homes destroyed in Cullasaja, a tiny mountain valley town in the Nantahala National Forest. It was not immediately clear how they died.
"These mountains are very unforgiving when it comes to floods," said Ronnie Setzer, the owner of a convenience store less than a mile from the neighborhood that was inundated. "Some of the old-timers who came in this morning told me this is the worst flooding they've seen in 40 years."
In Ohio, heavy rains swamped eastern and southern parts of the state, closing roads and knocking off power.
Some residents were rescued from homes and the tops of cars, but no injuries were reported. Authorities evacuated an undetermined number of people in at least four counties, and emergency shelters were opened as up to about 51/2 inches of rain fell.
Sixteen Ohio counties reported flooding from the downpours. Eastern Ohio was still soggy after about 5 inches of rain fell a week earlier from Hurricane Frances.
The Ohio Department of Transportation said at least 105 roads, many of them secondary routes, were closed Friday. Parts of at least three highways also were shut down.
Crash near Steubenville
The Ohio State Highway Patrol was investigating whether heavy rain caused a one-car crash on state Route 7 north of Steubenville that killed the driver.
Belmont County emergency officials enlisted a Coast Guard helicopter to search for people stranded by floodwaters. Ed Polli, emergency management spokesman in the eastern Ohio county, didn't know if the helicopter had found anyone.
In the village of Amesville in southeast Ohio, school cooks made pizza, nachos and cookies for the students and about 30 employees at Amesville Elementary.
Many of the students in preschool through fifth grade stayed busy by playing bingo and attending a dance. The Red Cross brought in blankets by boat.
"We're probably here for the duration of the night," said school librarian Patti McKibben.
Doug Bentley, chief of operations for Athens County Emergency Communications, said the school was on high ground and out of danger of the flooding.
"There's water across all the routes in and out of there. The only way to get in and out of the village is by boat," Bentley said. "The fire department is in the same area where the school is, so they have plenty of access to emergency services."
Forecasters expected the rain-swollen Ohio River between Steubenville and Wheeling, W.Va., to crest Sunday morning at 42 feet, 6 feet above flood stage.
Bob Byer, director of emergency management in Meigs County, said it was the worst widespread flash flooding in the county that he could remember in 15 years.
"We're more concerned as the flash flooding runs off. We're trying to keep up with it," Byer said.
In Amesville, Trisha Brudno speculated that her daughters Leah, 9, and Emily, 6, were having a wonderful time at school.
"We'll see what happens at bedtime," said Brudno, 46. "I feel like the novelty of the whole thing is just a thrill to them. It won't get old until they get really exhausted."
She planned to keep an ear on the radio for updates while playing board games with her husband, high-school-age son and a family friend who couldn't make it home on flooded roads.
In Pennsylvania
In western Pennsylvania, the rain and winds knocked out power to more than 44,000 customers, according to Allegheny Power and Duquesne Light. No serious injuries were reported by authorities.
The storm, which dumped more than seven inches of rain in one part of Pittsburgh and several inches or more in many other areas, threatened to overwhelm a dam in Beaver County, according to the National Weather Service. Authorities were watching the Hughes Lake Dam in Hanover Township, Beaver County, about 25 miles southwest of Pittsburgh, because they feared it could fail.
Jamestown and Hermitage firefighters went with boats to rescue people from floodwaters in the Pittsburgh area, a Mercer County 911 supervisor said.
Among the areas hardest hit was Etna, a town along the Allegheny River north of Pittsburgh, where flood waters continued to rise, submerging cars and prompting evacuations. The waters even forced the borough's fire department to leave the fire hall.
Flooding was reported in almost every area of Beaver County, including Industry, where every road was closed due to flooding.
The Allegheny County Port Authority suspended some outlying trolley service because of flooding.
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