Western floods force evacuations

At least 28 people have been killed in California.
OVERTON, Nev. (AP) -- The torrential storm that caused the deadly mudslide in California is leaving a path of destruction in other Western states, bringing flooding that has gobbled up homes and washed out roads.
The heaviest flooding was concentrated in the area where Nevada, Arizona and Utah meet. No serious injuries were reported, but one man was missing in Utah. A skier was missing for a third day in the deep snow of rugged western Colorado.
In California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger surveyed the devastation Wednesday caused by a huge mudslide that killed at least 10 people. The overall death toll in California from the storms is 28 people.
Extensive damage
Floodwaters from a swollen river rose in this small Nevada town about 50 miles from Las Vegas on Wednesday, even as evacuated residents started returning home.
An estimated 100 homes were damaged, destroyed or cut off by flooding in the Overton area. A police helicopter had to rescue three people after they became trapped in their cars and homes.
Roaring waters also snatched 21 parked freight cars from a nearby Union Pacific train, said company spokesman John Bromley. One car was carrying appliances and the rest were empty.
Overton resident Melanie Vallet said her family fled early Wednesday when water reached their front door.
"The family, the dogs, the chickens -- everyone's safe," Vallet said.
Emergency officials sent 45 tons of sand, 2,000 sandbags and other assistance to the town. Officials of Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, had declared an emergency in response to the flooding.
Authorities estimated about 350 homes had been evacuated in Overton and other nearby communities.
In Arizona, some residents started returning home to the Beaver Dam area in the far northwestern corner of the state as the sky cleared, but getting there was tricky.
An 80-foot stretch of the main road had been washed out and emergency crews were at work Wednesday grading a 22-mile-long detour along a dirt back road for the area's 1,400 residents.
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