Flood Waters Sweep Girl, 5, to Her Death in Alabama Storm

MOBILE, Ala. — Heavy rains pounded Alabama on Wednesday, turning streets into rivers and causing flooding that swept a 5-year-old girl to her death, authorities said.

Up to 6 inches fell in the southwest part of the state Wednesday, and rain-slicked roads were blamed for three traffic deaths.

In Texas, residents coped with the aftermath of rains Tuesday that dumped up to 7 inches on parts of the state.

Just northeast of Houston, the San Jacinto River was at 19.8 feet Wednesday, almost 5 feet over its banks and up 14 feet from 24 hours earlier.

Thousands of residents evacuated voluntarily.

“I’m just going over to higher ground,” said Jon Ingram, sloshing through knee-deep water in his house near the banks of the rain-swollen river.

Nearly 100 homes were evacuated in Alabama because of flooding in Jefferson County, north of Birmingham.

Ashley Church, 5, wandered away from a mobile home in Shelby County, south of Birmingham, and was swept away in a swollen creek.

Alabaster Police Chief Larry Rollan said Ashley and a 4-year-old boy left the trailer when a baby sitter fell asleep. A neighbor was able to pull the boy out of the water, but Ashley was missing.

“We found her about a mile downstream. . . . She was floating on top,” Rollan said.