Severe storms knock out power and close roads in Midwest as flooding cancels last day of Wisconsin State Fair

Severe storms struck the Midwest this weekend, dumping around a foot of rain on Milwaukee, causing flooding that canceled the last day of the Wisconsin State Fair, and damaging a Nebraska prison to the extent that inmates had to be moved, officials said.

WAUWATOSA, Wisc. — Severe storms struck the Midwest this weekend, dumping around a foot of rain on Milwaukee, causing flooding that canceled the last day of the Wisconsin State Fair, and damaging a Nebraska prison to the extent that inmates had to be moved, officials said.

At least one death occurred in the storms, which struck several states. One person died Saturday and another suffered serious injuries when a tree fell on the car they were in at Two Rivers State Park in Nebraska, officials said.

Some of the highest rainfall totals were in the Milwaukee area, where west of the city recorded 8 to 11 inches of rain.

In the Milwaukee suburb of Wauwatosa, Loren Kaiser showed an NBC News crew the damage left behind at his home, where he has lived for 20 years. Kaiser and his family were trying to avoid the floods by leaving town, when floodwaters started rushing in.

“We had the car loaded up and we just decided to try and make a run for it,” he said. “The water just came in and everything in the garage started to float.”