Deaths Reported From US Storms Reach 36

PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Highway Patrol says a 67-year-old woman has died in severe flooding in the Panhandle, bringing the total number of deaths from a string of U.S. storms to at least 36.

The agency said Wednesday that Betty Faye Word drove her Mercedes Benz into high water Tuesday night and it submerged. She did not escape.

At least 36 deaths have been reported from the large, stubborn storm system making its way through the South after cutting a destructive path through parts of the central U.S.

Mississippi and Arkansas saw the most fatalities, as well as the most destruction from violent tornadoes.

Deaths also were reported in Alabama, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Iowa.